Beaufort County School District does not track COVID cases. What to know

South Carolina is currently reporting “very high levels” of COVID-19 viral activity in wastewater. The state is maintaining a high level but not increasing, according to the CDC.

A COVID-19 case uptick is typical around August through October. It is not necessarily associated with the start of school, but around that time, according to Dr. Taras Nebeluk, an infectious disease specialist with Novant Health, this is something that happens nationally.

“This year we’ve treated 30 to 50 COVID-19 cases per month in the emergency department,” Nebeluk said. “In August, cases were more than 140. We have seen an uptick in cases higher than the last 12 months, but are trending below prior year levels as this point.”

There are many ways to detect viruses in a community. Wastewater is one of the ways to passively track viral activity in a specific location.

COVID-19 reporting and tracking in schools has evolved since the beginning of the pandemic. BCSD does not track cases in their schools anymore. It is unclear when the district stopped tracking cases.

Tracking the virus in schools

“Our district no longer tracks individual COVID-19 cases because state and federal emergency reporting requirements have ended,” Bruder said in a statement. “We continue to follow DHEC (Department of Health and Environmental Control) guidance for communicable illnesses and encourage students and staff to stay home when sick.”

Bruder said the district followed state guidance as to when they stopped reporting.

“DPH has not required schools or childcare facilities to track individual cases of respiratory viruses like COVID-19, influenza, or RSV since 2021,” Casey White, spokesperson for the SC Department of Public Health, said in an email. “Guidance for reporting and handling scenarios of multiple cases within a cohort or classroom has continued to evolve over the years, including eliminating a specific threshold for this school year. If an unusual or atypical situation arises or the school/facility needs assistance from DPH, they are encouraged to contact their regional epidemiology team for support. DPH remains committed to keeping South Carolina communities healthy.”

The most common strain of COVID Nebeluk is seeing is called “stratus,” or XFG. Nebeluk said stratus is a less severe variant in terms of mortality and hospitalizations.

“And I attribute that to probably the new variant being less severe and more people getting their boosters, getting vaccinated,” Nebeluk said.

According to Candace Bruder, public information officer for the Beaufort County School District, the school district is having a typical year in terms of reported medical issues.

School vaccination rates

Between 2021 and 2025, the number of students with religious exemptions for all vaccines increased, while the percentage of students with required immunizations decreased in Beaufort County. Medical exemptions, however, have decreased.

Religious and medical exemptions are allowed in South Carolina and do not apply to students outside of K-12. Medical exemptions must be issued by a licensed healthcare provider.

Religious exemptions must be signed and notarized by a legal guardian. However, the health department website says that, with a religious exemption, the child may be pulled from daycare or school if a vaccine-preventable disease outbreak occurs and they are not vaccinated against it. They may return when it is deemed safe to do so.

Other sicknesses

There have been no reported cases of meningitis, measles or mumps in the Beaufort County school district, according to Bruder.

Nebulek said he’s seen an increase in flu and RSV among patients.

Meningitis is a concern for Nebulek, but he said he hasn’t seen many cases because the vaccine is effective.

“It’s certainly a concern, you know, especially among the student population, especially when students congregate in dorms and colleges and schools,” Nebeluk said. “So it’s always something to look out for, and just emphasize the importance of getting the Meningococcal vaccine.”

If a student starts to feel sick

When a BCSD student is sick with COVID or any other respiratory illness, they should follow their doctor’s guidance about staying home and treatments, Bruder said.

Novant Health also has walk-in availability in Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head and is onboarding seven new primary care providers right now, according to Carter Mello, spokesperson for Novant Health.

“If anyone is having any respiratory symptoms or coughing, they should get tested and stay home,” Nebulek said. “And if they do have COVID, it does offer protection to classmates or other people to wear a simple surgical mask if you have respiratory symptoms. The COVID vaccine in the state of South Carolina is still available without a prescription. It’s available at most pharmacies.”

This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 1:15 PM.