FOCUS: State’s COVID-19 rate now s 4nd highest in U.S.

The MUSC COVID-19 Epidemiology Intelligence Project rates the Charleston-area disease impact as “severe.” MUSC image.

Staff reports  |  South Carolina has the fourth highest rate of COVID-19 with 88 cases per 100,000 people, according to Sept. 13 data from The New York Times. At one point last week, the state ranked highest in the country, but rates in Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia are higher now, according to media reports. 

Over the last two weeks, the virus has shown few signs of abating as hospitals are filled with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, schools struggle to stay open and hospitalizations are increasing for children.  

On Sept. 8, new data from MUSC showed the rate of breakthrough infections from COVID-19 in the area appeared to be rising slowly. But only two cases among MUSC employees and students led to hospitalization.

“There’s a big difference between feeling like you have a cold for a few days from a breakthrough infection versus being on a ventilator if you’re unvaccinated,” said Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious disease specialist at MUSC Health. “If you don’t want to risk being on a ventilator, I suggest you get vaccinated. 

“Breakthrough infections are not landing vaccinated people in the intensive care unit unless they’re transplant patients or have something seriously wrong with their ability to respond to a vaccine.”

According to state health officials Friday, one in eight South Carolinians who were tested for the disease were positive for it.  There were 3,917 new cases with 99 new deaths, 82 of which were confirmed.  New data will be released this afternoon.

• Delta surge hits younger, unvaccinated people.  The Wall Street Journal.
• More S.C. hospital beds filling with COVID patients than ever before.  The State.
• S.C. nears 11,000 dead, surpassing 750,000 cases since start of pandemic.  The Post and Courier
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