It seems that demand for COVID-19 vaccine programming in South Carolina may be slightly declining, according to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control.
An agency official said it was to be expected; in fact, the same trend was observed towards the end of phase 1A.
No decision has been made on whether to open the vaccine eligibility for phase 1C, but Nick Davidson, DHEC’s senior deputy for public health, said it was something they would follow closely in the coming days.
As supply rises to demand, available photos are becoming easier to find, he said, noting that the state will receive about 25,000 primary doses in next week’s deliveries compared to a month ago.
Several states have already opened the eligibility of all residents aged 16 and over. Georgia will do it on March 25.
South Carolina is not expected to move to Phase 1C until April 12, which would add to the list anyone between the ages of 45 and 54 who is not already eligible due to employment, health or disability.
Eligibility does not extend to everyone until May 3, according to the timeline posted by DHEC. But that could change if appointments available across the state continue to grow.
“Then we’ll do something similar to what a few other states have started to do,” Davidson said. We will first focus on how difficult it is for people to get the vaccine.
Meanwhile, South Carolina ranks 28th in the country for new COVID-19 cases per capita and 46th for COVID-19 deaths, according to a new White House report released this week.
Almost every county in the state is still considered a “high transmission”.
State level numbers
New reported cases: 436 confirmed, 398 probable.
Total cases in SC: 460,736 confirmed, 83,189 probable.
Positive percentage: 4.7 percent.
New reported deaths: 23 confirmed, 6 probable.
Total deaths in SC: 7,992 confirmed, 1,063 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds filled: 68.2 percent.
How is SC classified in vaccines given to 100,000 people?
43 of March 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The most affected areas
Of the total number of newly confirmed cases, Greenville County (74), Horry County (47) and Berkeley County (38) had the highest totals.
What about tri-county?
Charleston County had 36 new cases confirmed on March 24, while Berkeley had 38 and Dorchester had 16.
deaths
Among the new probable and confirmed deaths that were reported, one was a young adult (ages 18-34), five were people aged 35 to 64, and 23 were patients aged 65 and over.
hospitalization
Of the 547 COVID-19 patients admitted on March 24, 1,761 were in intensive care and 56 were on ventilators.
Nursing homes
According to DHEC data, there were 19,585 confirmed cases of coronavirus in nursing homes and assisted living facilities: 12,139 residents and 7,446 employees. This is an increase of cases of less than 1% in a week.
To date, 1,900 residents have died from the virus, a 16% mortality rate. Twenty-nine workers also died. Together, they account for 24 percent of deaths in the state, according to March 24 data.
Of the 688 facilities monitored by DHEC, the virus was found in 507. There are 92 active outbreaks, a 40% decrease since early March.
A certain type of visit – indoor, outdoor or both – is allowed at 624 facilities; 47 do not allow it; 17 did not report.
What do the experts say?
Davidson, along with DHEC, said providers with vaccine doses remaining at the end of the day should make an attempt to get the shots in the arms of eligible people in phase 1B.
“First of all, we want the vaccine to be used,” he said. “We don’t want anything wasted.”
He said several providers, including local pharmacies and emergency care centers, are using waiting lists to return to adults who may not have been able to make an appointment, but who have expressed interest in getting a vaccine. Finally, vaccinating someone on a waiting list that is not strictly eligible in phase 1B is “better than a wasted dose,” Davidson said.
