Coronavirus updates for June 2: 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 Thursday for updates.
More than 8,500 new COVID cases last week
At least 1.5 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and at least 17,907 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Wednesday, June 1, reported 8,648 COVID-19 cases and two coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending May 28. The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
Data shows COVID-19 cases are up about 19% compared to this time last week, and hospitalizations have risen nearly 23%. As of May 30, 229 people in the state were hospitalized with coronavirus, including 28 patients being treated in intensive care units and eight patients on ventilators.
The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina during the week ending May 21, according to the latest available state data. The DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory conducts sequencing on randomly chosen samples as part of nationwide efforts to identify new strains of the virus, the agency’s website reads.
Nearly 55% percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and over 63% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.
1 in 5 adults may develop long COVID symptoms after infection, CDC says
About one in five adults may experience symptoms of long COVID-19 after beating a coronavirus infection, McClatchy News reported, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Recent research by the public health agency found that people 65 and older have a slightly higher risk of developing at least one “post-COVID condition,” which may affect one in four people. Adults 18 and older are also twice as likely to develop a pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot that may travel to the lungs, after getting COVID-19.
The report’s findings “are consistent with those from several large studies that indicated that post-COVID incident conditions occur in 20%-30% of patients and that a proportion of patients require expanded follow-up care after the initial infection,” researchers wrote.
Those who recover from the virus are encouraged to undergo “routine assessment for post-COVID conditions,” especially people older than 65, the CDC said.
Read the full story here.
Is monkeypox more contagious than COVID-19? Here’s what to know
Health experts are addressing disinformation about monkeypox as the cases continue rising across the world, according to McClatchy News.
Since May 13, the World Health Organization has recorded 92 laboratory-confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox — three of which were identified in the U.S., McClatchy News reported.
The virus’ spread has prompted questions about its transmissible compared to COVID-19, and whether the monkeypox outbreak could rise to the level of a pandemic. Unlike coronavirus, health experts say monkeypox isn’t contagious before symptoms appear.
“It’s not as highly transmissible as something like smallpox, or measles, or certainly not COVID,” infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Anne Rimoin told Vox.
Read more about monkeypox and COVID-19 here.
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 8:05 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates for June 2: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week."