Coronavirus updates for Sept. 28: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week

Tanasia Kenney
·1 min read

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 4,500 COVID cases in SC last week

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday, Sept. 27, reported 4,516 COVID-19 cases and five coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending Sept. 24. The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.

At least 1.7 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and more than 18,300 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.

Data shows COVID-19 cases are down nearly 30% compared with this time last week, with hospitalizations falling 15%. As of Sept. 24, an average of 322 people in the state were hospitalized with the coronavirus, including 46 patients being treated in intensive care and 19 patients on ventilators, the latest data shows.

The omicron subvariant BA.5 accounted for about 81% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina for the week of Sept. 10, followed by BA.4.6 (14.5%) and B.1.1.529 (1.9%), according to the latest data. 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.

Fifty-three percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and about 61% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.