Death toll passes 10,000 in South Carolina as DHEC urges COVID vaccinations and masks
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COVID-19 spikes again in South Carolina
Here’s the latest on the omicron variant surge, COVID-19 guidance and more in South Carolina.
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South Carolina reached a somber milestone Wednesday when the state announced that more than 10,000 people in the Palmetto State have died of COVID-19.
With 15 new fatalities reported by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the state has 10,007 (confirmed and probable) deaths caused by the virus.
“While statistics are useful to measure data, there is no statistic for grief or comfort in a milestone for those who have lost family members and loved ones. To all those families across South Carolina, I want to say my deepest sympathy is with you,” DHEC Director Dr. Edward Simmer said in a news release.
In an effort to prevent more COVID deaths, Simmer said there is “only one way to prevent more lives from being lost, and that is through vaccination.”
While 1,946,828 South Carolina residents are fully vaccinated, Simmer said there’s more work to do because that’s just 45% of the state’s population eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. That doesn’t include some of South Carolina’s most vulnerable residents, children 11 years old and younger, who Simmer said “depend on the rest of us to protect them.”
“Although one month ago it looked like the pandemic was improving, the arrival of the delta variant has created a surge in new cases and deaths that we have to take seriously,” Simmer said. “Until we reach a critical percentage of South Carolinians vaccinated that can stifle COVID-19’s spread, we are not out of danger. And the longer that takes, the more time the virus has to mutate into new, harder-to-control variants.”
Simmer also urged South Carolina residents to follow CDC and DHEC guidelines about universal mask use indoors in public places.
On Wednesday, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 2,560 new cases of coronavirus, the 10th consecutive day that at least 2,000 new positive tests have been reported.
South Carolina has seen more than 648,000 (confirmed and probable) cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. With 45% of the state’s population fully vaccinated, health officials are urging people to get the COVID vaccine to help limit the spread of the virus and to protect themselves.
Hospitals across the state report that a total of 8,920 inpatient beds are currently being used, which is 78.6% of capacity, according to DHEC. Another 77.2% of the ICU beds are being used, 27% of which are being taken up by COVID-19 patients.
“South Carolinians have a well-deserved reputation for working together and taking care of each other,” Simmer said. “Now more than ever, we need to do so. If we do, we will defeat COVID-19, which has already taken so much from so many.”
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This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Death toll passes 10,000 in South Carolina as DHEC urges COVID vaccinations and masks."
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