COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has blasted through another record for daily COVID cases, this time breaking the old mark by over 30 percent.
South Carolina's health agency, DHEC, reported 13,320 new daily cases Thursday, based on data collected from Tuesday, January 4. The previous record--set just on December 30--was 10,629 cases.
The numbers now dwarf anything seen at any point during the pandemic, which had a previous high of 7,600, a record which, oddly enough, was set exactly one year ago today.
Richland County also continues to set records for cases, with 1,578 on January 4. Lexington County nearly eclipsed 1,000 cases for the first time ever, with 976.
The percent positive on tests was 29.1%, meaning nearly a third of all tests done are coming back positive for COVID.
Hospitalization are way up as well. There are 1,435 people currently hospitalized, with 280 in ICU care at the end of January 5. Just one week earlier, those numbers stood at 921 and 199, respectively.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said Wednesday that while the omicron variant is causing more mild cases overall but it’s still overburdening hospitals and raising concern.
"People are still dying from COVID," Bell said. "It doesn’t matter what the variant is. What matters most is these are preventable deaths."
Bell said the best advice is to get vaccinated. DHEC announced Thursday they are agreeing with the CDC recommendation of Pfizer booster shots for anyone over the age of 12. Previous, boosters were recommended for people 16 and older.
“It’s critical that we keep children as protected as possible against COVID, especially the delta and omicron variants,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director. “This new booster shot recommendation ensures our children are maximally vaccinated against this deadly disease, and boosters are the best opportunity we have for keeping our children safe and healthy in the classroom setting, where we know they thrive. I urge parents and guardians to have their children, 12 and older, receive their Pfizer booster as soon as possible.”
Visit scdhec.gov/boosters for more information, and find a vaccination site near you on their vaccine locator webpage or by calling their Vaccine Information Line at 1-866-365-8110.
Information on Getting Tested:
Due to increases in the number of people being tested for COVID-19, South Carolinians should prepare for longer wait times (1-2 hours) at testing locations. DHEC encourages those wishing to get tested to plan ahead. DHEC and its testing contractors have been working to increase testing capacity at sites, in order to increase throughput, as well as to ensure turn-around times in labs remain at 24 to 48 hours.
Free testing and vaccinations can be found at county health departments throughout South Carolina.
To find a vaccination site, or to get more information about vaccines and boosters, check out the link at scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-vaccine
To find a testing site, go to the link at scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-testing-locations. Note that some private pharmacies, health care and doctor's offices are charging or requiring insurance for certain tests.