COVID-19 cases continue escalating in South Carolina as the rest of the country braces itself for another wave of illness largely impacting those who remain unvaccinated.
On July 23, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported nearly 800 new confirmed cases of the virus, the highest confirmed total in months. At this pace, the number of confirmed cases in this state will top 500,000 by next week.
DHEC celebrated on July 22 the fact that half of all South Carolinians have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. But less than 45 percent of the state is fully vaccinated, putting South Carolina behind most other states in terms of vaccination rates.
Health experts agree that those who remain unvaccinated are much more susceptible to COVID-19. DHEC said in a press release July 23 that more than 90 percent of South Carolinians who contracted or died from the virus in June were unvaccinated.
"This data is further proof that vaccinations save lives," Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC's public health director, said in a prepared statement. "We can't stress this enough: eligible residents should protect themselves and their loved ones by getting fully vaccinated."
Statewide numbers
New cases reported: 798 confirmed, 414 probable.
Total cases in S.C.: 498,887 confirmed, 107,946 probable.
Percent positive: 12.1 percent.
New deaths reported: 3 confirmed, 0 probable.
Total deaths in S.C.: 8,710 confirmed, 1,168 probable.
Percent of ICU beds filled: 66.79 percent.
S.C. residents vaccinated
DHEC's vaccine dashboard shows that 50.1 percent of the state's residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 44.1 percent have completed their vaccinations.
Hardest-hit areas
In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Horry County (110), Lexington County (82) and Richland County (80) saw the highest totals.
What about tri-county?
Charleston County had 53 new cases on July 23, while Berkeley County had 41 and Dorchester County had 41.
Hospitalizations
Of the 297 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of July 23, 79 were in the ICU and 26 were using ventilators.
What do experts say?
Andy Slavitt, who formerly served as senior adviser for COVID response under President Joe Biden, used an analogy to explain how the vaccine works against the Delta variant on Twitter on July 23.
"A vaccine is like an umbrella. It keeps us from getting wet. Not perfectly. But mostly," Slavitt wrote. "With Delta, the rain is the slanty kind that makes you 10% more likely to get wet. Still, being a little wet is ok. Easy to dry off in this analogy. What you don’t want to be is soaked (or being hospitalized would be the analogy). And the umbrella prevents that."
Everyone 12 and older should be vaccinated, health officials agree. To find a vaccine in South Carolina, visit vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov.
