The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control recorded fewer than 1,900 new COVID-19 cases for the week that ended March 18, and 13 new deaths.
Over the last month, new cases have declined 53.9 percent, while new deaths have fallen 70.4 percent and hospitalizations have decreased by 43.7 percent, according to an analysis of public health data by The Post and Courier.
Statewide numbers
New cases reported: 1,892
Total cases in S.C.: 1,840,458
New deaths reported: 13
Total deaths in S.C.: 19,673
Percent of ICU beds filled (with COVID-19 and other patients): 66.75 percent
Percent positive: 7.7 percent
S.C. residents vaccinated
As of March 18 in South Carolina, 62.2 percent of people who are eligible for the vaccine have received at least one dose, and 54 percent of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
These numbers reflect all eligible residents in South Carolina, including young children. The latest data from DHEC shows 23.6 percent of children ages 5-11 have at least one vaccine dose and 5.3 percent among those under age 5.
Hospitalizations
Of the 148 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of March 19, 17 were in the ICU. DHEC no longer reports ventilator usage among hospital patients as of Dec. 20.
What do experts say?
A coalition of laboratories in the United Kingdom have been working together to sequence the SARS CoV-2 virus and track its evolving mutations, alerting public health to significant new variants that are better able to evade the immune system.
"Rather than working in isolated laboratories around the UK, we are now working in teams. I think that this collaborative working is the future of science.” - Professor Emma Thomson, Clinical Professor of Infectious Diseases at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.
