With 42.9% of South Carolina residents now having completed their Covid-19 vaccination process, the state reported zero new deaths and 116 new cases Tuesday. South Carolina still ranks near the bottom nationally for Covid-19 vaccination which could become a problem as the Covid Delta variant spreads across the United States. in a ranking of States ranked by percentage of population fully vaccinated, South Carolina stands at 40th in the nation.
MUSC epidemiologist Robert Ball is concerned that our vaccination rates are too low. In a statement to WCSC, Dr. Ball states: “To develop a high level of immunity, much more than the just under 50 percent that South Carolina and the nation have now, we need about 70 to 80 percent of people vaccinated for community immunity,” Ball said.
Risk of the Delta Variant Rise Among Unvaccinated
The Delta variant was first identified in India and carries a higher rate of transmission and a greater chance of severe disease than other COVID-19 variants. In South Carolina, four confirmed cases of the variant have been discovered. It is important to note that Delta variant testing is not a routine part of DHEC’s COVID-19 testing. Rather, randomly selected positive samples are tested via whole genome sequencing in labs. That means there are likely other undetected cases of the variant in the state.
As with other variants, complete vaccination is the number one way to stifle the impact of the Delta variant. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are approximately 33 percent effective against the Delta variant if a person has only received one of the two doses of the shots but 88 percent effective if a person has received both doses of the vaccine. England’s national public health organization has reported that Pfizer-BioNTech is 96 percent effective against hospitalizations caused by the Delta variant. This data includes the two-week period after the second dose before someone is considered fully vaccinated, to allow for the vaccine to have time to be as effective as possible.
“The health threats due to variants significantly reduce when people get their vaccination,” Traxler added. “We understand COVID-19 vaccination comes with questions and concerns. We strongly urge all eligible folks to become educated with science-based, accurate facts and to make the decision to get these life-saving doses. If more people are not vaccinated and the virus is allowed to continue to spread, it could mutate further to the point of making the vaccines less effective, which we absolutely do not want.”
Latest Covid-19 Numbers
Reported Tuesday, July 06, 2021 1:00 p.m.
Data as of Sunday, July 4, 2021 11:59 p.m.
| COVID-19 | New | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed Cases | 68 | 493,702 |
| Probable Cases | 48 | 104,391 |
| Confirmed Deaths | 0 | 8,658 |
| Probable Deaths | 0 | 1,183 |
| Molecular Test Results | 2,547 | |
| Total Tests | 8,224,589 | |
| Percent Positive | 3.8% |
