Only 54 more COVID-19 vaccinations reported in Beaufort Co. as demand plummets
State health officials on Tuesday reported that only 54 more Beaufort County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The county’s seven-day average of new first-dose vaccinations has plummeted since late March, as the demand for shots continues to evaporate.
Vaccine supply in South Carolina now outstrips demand, which was almost unthinkable in January and February when local seniors struggled to book vaccine appointments via a confusing and bureaucratic tangle of scheduling systems.
About 49.3% of county residents who are 15 or older have received a shot, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, and 50.6% of that group have yet to get a dose.
Coronavirus spread, meanwhile, remains low after a winter spike.
One new coronavirus case and one probable infection were reported in Beaufort County on Tuesday. No new deaths were announced.
Jasper County recorded zero cases and no deaths Tuesday.
Local numbers
COVID-19 inoculation rate for fully vaccinated Beaufort County residents as of Sunday (the most recent date for which data are available): 3,727 vaccine recipients per 10,000 residents. That’s the seventh-highest rate in South Carolina.
Seven-day average of new first-dose vaccinations: 264 per day
Number of residents who have received at least one dose: 77,152
Total number of doses administered: 111,043
New first-dose vaccinations announced Tuesday: 54
Percentage of the county’s 15 and older population who have received at least one dose: 49.3%
Statewide numbers
New first-dose vaccinations announced Tuesday: 838
Number of residents who have received at least one dose: 1,734,402
Percentage of the state’s 15 and older population who have received at least one dose: 42.2%
Percentage of S.C. residents 15 and up who have completed vaccination: 32.2%
ZIP code data
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 leads the county with 18,538 vaccinations since late last year. Hilton Head Island’s 29926 ZIP code, covering the north side, has 13,038 vaccinations, which is the second-highest figure in the county. The 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 10,270 vaccinations, according to DHEC.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has recorded 12,938 resident inoculations.
Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code has reported 5,386 inoculations, though DHEC’s data do not include federally administered vaccines for military members north of the Broad River.
DHEC releases most of its coronavirus vaccine data based on residency. If a Beaufort County resident is vaccinated out of state or in a different S.C. county, they would still be counted in DHEC’s Beaufort County-specific ZIP code data.
More information on ZIP code-level vaccine data can be found at the following link online: http://bit.ly/BeaufortCountyVaccines
Virus spread in Beaufort County
Seven-day average of new cases: roughly seven per day
Total cases: 14,867 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 192 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Sunday: 58.3 cases per 100,000 people, a “moderate” rate under DHEC’s definition. An incidence rate measures how quickly a disease is spreading through a given population.
Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious disease specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, has previously said counties should aim to have a two-week incidence rate of less than 50 new cases per 100,000 people.
