Coronavirus updates for Oct. 26: 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 3,000 COVID cases in SC last week
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday, Oct. 25, reported 3,038 COVID-19 cases and seven coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending Oct. 22.
The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
An estimated 1.7 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and more than 18,500 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.
Data shows COVID-19 cases are down nearly 2% compared with this time last week, with hospitalizations falling 6%. As of Oct. 22, an average of 222 people in the state were hospitalized with the coronavirus, including 33 patients being treated in intensive care and 13 patients on ventilators, the latest data shows.
The omicron subvariant BA.5 accounted for about 70% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina for the week ending Oct. 8, followed by subvariant BA.4.6 (24.6%), 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.
About 53% of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and just over 61% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.
The most-common COVID symptoms are changing, new study says
The most-common symptoms reported by COVID-19 sufferers have changed since the start of the global pandemic, a recent study suggests.
The most-prevalent symptoms were similar regardless of a person’s vaccination status, though they differed in rank, according to researchers behind the U.K.-based Zoe Health Study. The research project tracks the virus through an app where participants can log their COVID-19 symptoms.
Headache, persistent cough, sore throat, and runny nose were reported among those who received one or two vaccine doses, and those who were unvaccinated, according to the updated list published Oct. 20. An additional symptom was also reported in each group based on vaccination status.
For instance, participants who received the two-dose vaccine series said a stuffy nose was among the top 5 symptoms that they experienced. However, it wasn’t among the most-reported symptoms in people who received one vaccine dose or were unvaccinated.
The latest report highlights how “symptoms as recorded previously are changing with the evolving variants of the virus,” according to the Zoe Health Study.
To learn more, read the full story here.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates for Oct. 26: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week."