Coronavirus updates for April 5: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back each week for updates.
More than 1,650 COVID cases added in SC last week
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday, April 4, reported 1,670 COVID-19 cases for the week ending April 1 and 25 coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending March 25.
The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
An estimated 1.8 million coronavirus cases have been reported in the Palmetto State, and nearly 19,750 people have died since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, according to state health officials. Data shows new COVID-19 cases dipped nearly 20% compared with this time last week.
As of April 2, 114 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in South Carolina (with 61 hospitals reporting), including 15 patients in intensive care units, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Going forward, DHEC said it will use “the CDC data for South Carolina to show our state’s Inpatient Bed Usage and Intensive Care Unit Bed Usage statistics.”
Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 accounted for more than 90% of all COVID-19 strains identified in South Carolina for the week ending March 18, data shows. The DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory conducts sequencing on randomly chosen samples as part of nationwide efforts to find out about new strains of the virus, the agency’s website reads.
The state’s latest vaccination numbers show 54% of eligible South Carolina residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and just over 62% have received at least one dose.
COVID vaccines are ‘low priority’ for healthy kids and teens, WHO says
Healthy children and teens are now considered “low priority” groups when it comes to getting a COVID-19 vaccine, according to updated guidance from the World Health Organization.
The new guidance, announced by the agency’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) on March 28, breaks people into three groups based on who would most benefit from a COVID immunization and booster shots, McClatchy News reported, citing a news release.
Each group is classified as “high priority,” “medium priority” or “low priority.”
Adults older than 60, those who are immunocompromised and pregnant individuals are among people considered “high priority,” WHO said. The organization’s vaccine experts advises primary vaccine series and additional boosters six to 12 months after the initial dose.
Though “safe and effective,” experts aren’t recommending a shot for “low priority” groups and will instead leave it up to individual countries to decide whether to make them a priority for youth who are in good health, according to the release.
“The revised roadmap reemphasizes the importance of vaccinating those still at-risk of severe disease, mostly older adults and those with underlying conditions, including with additional boosters,” SAGE Chair Dr. Hanna Nohynek said in a statement.
Learn more about the updated guidance here.
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