‘This is alarming.’ Unvaccinated SC residents prompting new COVID case rise, DHEC says
South Carolina health officials continue to plead with state residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as newly reported statewide cases have jumped by more than 50% over the last three weeks.
The state’s low vaccination rate leaves South Carolina more susceptible to a surge in coronavirus activity recently seen in other state with similarly low rates — especially as the highly transmissible delta variant rapidly spreads, which accounts for more than half of new coronavirus cases nationwide, officials said.
“Unvaccinated people are fueling the pandemic — especially unvaccinated young people,” state Department of Health and Environmental Control’s public health director Brannon Traxler said Wednesday during a media briefing.
As of Thursday, 43.5% of eligible South Carolina residents are fully vaccinated, according to data from DHEC. About 49.3% of eligible residents have received at least one dose, the data show.
“This is alarming,” Traxler said. “Three weeks ago, we saw an increase of 7.5% in cases compared to the week before, followed the next week by an 18% increase, and then last week a 58% increase in the number of cases.”
The number of patients hospitalized due to the virus also jumped by 39% over that same period, she said.
“We know based on South Carolina and national data that the vast majority of people who are getting hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 are those who are not fully vaccinated,” Traxler said. “I cannot stress it enough — COVID-19 is now a vaccine-preventable disease. South Carolinians don’t need to continue to die and become hospitalized since sick from this disease.”
York and Chester counties are among South Carolina counties where cases have started to increase, according to DHEC data.
As of Thursday, the two counties are among 14 of the state’s 46 counties that are reporting moderate incidence rates, which accounts for 51-200 new cases per 100,000 people in a two-week period, for new COVID-19 cases, according to DHEC data. Just last week, both counties reported low incidence rates.
York County, which has 223,809 vaccine-eligible individuals, has reported 197 new confirmed cases in the last two weeks, DHEC data show. The county has had about 70 cases per 100,000 people in that same period, according to DHEC data. There’s been a total of 32,412 cases in the county since the pandemic’s start.
Chester County, which has 27,668 vaccine-eligible people, has reported 18 confirmed cases in the last two weeks, DHEC data show. The county has had about 56 cases per 100,000 people in that time, according to DHEC data. There’s been 4,299 cases in the county since the start of the pandemic.
“We are very concerned that close contact among unvaccinated people is resulting in the disease spread,” Traxler said. “We’re seeing increasing numbers of young adults becoming ill, even requiring hospitalization.”
Lancaster County, which has 78,456 vaccine-eligible residents, is still reporting a low incidence rate.
How quickly is the delta variant spreading in SC?
DHEC officials have identified 12 known cases of the delta variant in South Carolina — two more than last week, Traxler said Wednesday.
However, she insisted there are far more cases of the variant circulating the state. Testing for the delta variant is not a routine part of DHEC’s COVID-19 testing. The agency sequences a small fraction of randomly selected COVID-19 positive samples for the variant, Traxler said.
Although DHEC’s data has shown the proportion of delta variants identified in South Carolina is increasing rapidly, the state’s recent week-to-week increase in overall coronavirus cases cannot solely be attributed to the variant, Traxler said.
“One thing that is likely driving a lot of it is the percentage of unvaccinated people that are in South Carolina and are vulnerable to infection from COVID-19,” she said.
Residents should take the same precautions, especially getting vaccinated as soon as possible, outlined throughout the pandemic to protect against the delta and other variants, Traxler said. She said residents who are not vaccinated should wear a mask and avoid close contact with others.
“We are seeing that the vast majority of people who are getting diagnosed with COVID-19 are unvaccinated,” she said. “It is not 100%, but it is certainly an overwhelming majority.”
York County has the highest percentage of residents fully vaccinated among the three counties. As of Thursday, about 39% of the county’s 223,809 individuals eligible for a vaccine have received two doses. And 46% have gotten at least one dose, according to DHEC data.
In Lancaster County, 35% of the county’s 78,456 people eligible for a vaccine have gotten both doses, while 44% have received at least one, DHEC data show.
About 36% of Chester County’s 27,668 people eligible for a vaccine have gotten both doses. About 41% have gotten at least one, according to DHEC data.
This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 4:00 PM.
