May 11 COVID update: Cases up in South Carolina. Rebooted booster rollout needed, experts warn – Charleston City Paper

Workers experiences | About one third of Individuals age 65 and up who’ve accomplished their preliminary vaccination cycle have nonetheless not gotten their first booster shot, in line with a report from NBC Information, a quantity that has nationwide well being consultants fearful. 

In the meantime, The state Division of Well being and Environmental Management (DHEC) transitioned to weekly reporting of recent COVID information in March. The latest numbers had been reported Wednesday and coated Could 1-7. State well being officers on Wednesday reported 4,458 whole new circumstances  of COVID-19 — a 30 p.c enhance over final week — and 4 whole new deaths. 

Individuals 65 and up are on the highest danger for severe sickness and loss of life resulting from COVID-19 an infection, in line with the federal Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, representing about 75% of COVID deaths within the U.S., in line with a KFF evaluation. 

The failure to spice up extra of this group has resulted within the lack of tens of 1000’s of lives, Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Analysis Translational Institute, stated in an NBC report. “The booster program has been botched from day one,” he stated. “This is among the most vital points for the American pandemic, and it has been mismanaged.”

Nationwide well being consultants say a shift within the accountability for ongoing immunization from government-sponsored clinics to particular person suppliers could have a constructive influence. However major well being care methods are usually not set as much as readily tackle such a public well being point out, former CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden informed NBC.

Except for breaking or different very important information experiences, Charleston Metropolis Paper is transferring from every day COVID-19 reporting to a weekly foundation, with experiences coinciding with the publishing of knowledge from the state Division of Well being and Environmental Management on Tuesdays. 

Newest COVID-19 information

The state Division of Well being and Environmental Management (DHEC) transitioned to weekly reporting of recent COVID information in March. The latest numbers had been reported Wednesday and coated Could 1-7.

State well being officers on Wednesday reported 4,458 whole new circumstances of COVID-19 — greater than a 30% enhance over final week — and 4 whole new deaths. As of Could 11, 120 COVID-19-positive people had been hospitalized, and 4 had been on ventilators. 

No positivity fee was reported by DHEC.

• Share of S.C. residents age 12+ with no less than one vaccine: 67.1%
• Share of S.C. residents age 12+ who’ve accomplished vaccination: 58%
• Share of S.C. residents age 5-11 with no less than one vaccine: 20.2%
• Share of S.C. residents age 5-11 who’ve accomplished vaccination: 16.4%

For extra info, go to the S.C. SCDHEC COVID-19 dashboard.