Coronavirus - COVID-19 coverage in Sumter, Clarendon, Lee

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Prisma Health held one of four statewide COVID-19 community testing events at the Sumter County Civic Center on July 7. Cassandra Waddell, supervisor of administrative support for Prisma said nearly 300 tests were conducted. The community testing, primarily done in partnership with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and state agencies, are aimed at reaching populations who may not otherwise have access to traditional testing or online virtual visits.

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Prisma Health Tuomey offering limited walk-in COVID-19 vaccine appointments

Our newsroom is providing continuous coverage of the local effects of COVID-19 – verifying facts, crossing over conversations, offering direct information resources and giving voice to leaders and experts that can help. Vital information is free to the public as our newsroom continues to work from home or on the front lines to bring you what you need and want to know. To help us continue this mission, please subscribe and help us sustain this ongoing effort.

The latest

Students in Jayne Evenich's fifth grade class at Willow Drive Elementary participate in LEAP days on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020.

Sumter elementary schools expanding to 4 days of in-person learning

Still closed meetings, no public comment for Sumter School District

A ditch on East Brewington Road off U.S. 378 is filled with cans and other small litter on Thursday. Sumter's Litter Prevention Program started in summer 2020, with education initiatives and volunteers collecting thousands of pounds of trash in the city. Sumter also has a new litter officer, but inmates with the S.C. Department of Corrections and Sumter County Detention Center are unable to help clean up trash because of COVID-19 restrictions, which

Pandemic byproduct: More litter on Sumter roadways

From left, Sumter High School Student Government Association members Hannah Young, Bailey Rosdail, Ashauna Leverette and Aaliyah Cousar deliver Valentine's Day gifts to a staff member with Prisma Health Children's Hospital in Columbia.

Sumter High group gives back in COVID-19 with service project

Lisa Anderson, who teaches kindergarten at Manchester Elementary School, works with students in and out of the classroom on a hybrid day mid-October 2020.

South Carolina House subcommittee to hear more on educator vaccine plan next week

Local resources

How to get a COVID-19 vaccine: Who to contact and how SCHEDULE A VACCINE APPOINTMENT Interactive COVID-19 vaccine location map: https://bit.ly/3pjzhz0 Map is subject to change daily. DHEC's new COVID-19 vaccine information line: 1-866-365-8110 For questions about COVID-19 vaccines and help …

S.C. makes COVID-19 vaccine available to people 65 and older COLUMBIA — South Carolina is now letting people 65 and older receive the coronavirus vaccine, the state health department announced Wednesday.The Department of Health and Environmental Control …

Where are masks required in Sumter, Clarendon, Lee counties? Sumter County Council members are asking residents to wear masks in public, but they are not requiring people to do so. A resolution "urging" residents to wear face coverings when in public in the county was passed during a public meeting …

Here's a list of restaurants in Sumter enrolled in the Palmetto Priority program The Palmetto Priority Program is a formal commitment made by South Carolina restaurateurs to provide a clean and safe environment for their staff and customers to demonstrate the extensive …

Here's a list of resources, accounts for parents with at-home, virtual learning children during COVID-19 This page is dedicated to providing parents with resources, ideas and inspiration for keeping kids engaged, entertained and learning while school is out due to the coronavirus. Most of this is aimed …

How to make a cloth face covering at home with or without sewing Here is some information and tutorials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to wear a cloth face covering, how to make one and why. The CDC is now recommending everyone …

Your guide to Sumter-area takeout and delivery during conoravirus restrictions

COVID-19 testing, vaccine events in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties FROM STAFF REPORTS TESTING LOCATIONS Here is a listing of COVID-19 free community testing events scheduled for this week in the tri-county. LEE COUNTY - CareSouth Carolina (mobile testing) - 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24 - Ashwood …

Who and how to contact for information on COVID-19, testing and vaccines SCHEDULE A VACCINE APPOINTMENT SCDHEC - Interactive COVID-19 vaccine location map: https://bit.ly/3pjzhz0 Map is subject to change daily. - DHEC's new COVID-19 vaccine information line: 1-866-365-8110 For questions about COVID-19 …

Know who and how to contact for information on COVID-19, vaccines Prisma Health is opening certain sites, including one at its Tuomey Hospital in Sumter, to walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations for those eligible in phase 1a, including individuals 70 and older. While Prisma Health, the state's largest vaccinator as of …

Outpatient infusion treatment for COVID-19 available at McLeod Health Clarendon with doctor's referral FROM STAFF REPORTSMcLeod Health has expanded access to the monoclonal antibody therapy Bamlanivimab as an outpatient infusion treatment for patients at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 …

Information you need to know about scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for those aged 70 and older Starting Wednesday, Jan. 13, anyone aged 70 or older can schedule an appointment to receive his or her COVID-19 vaccine in South Carolina. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control …

Frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and SC's rollout plan Follow this link to read FAQ's about the COVID-19 vaccine in South Carolina. This is DHEC's current plan for who is included in which vaccine phase: …

More Local Coronavirus Resources

More local coverage

As weather, logistics continue in vaccine saga, 2 Sumter veterans get their 1st shot Woody Woodward is retired and had the time, so he drove from Sumter to Columbia on a cold, drizzly Monday morning to get his first COVID-19 vaccine shot. The Winnsboro native has called Sumter home since being stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in …

100-year-old woman gets 2nd COVID-19 vaccine shot at Prisma Health Tuomey in Sumter 100-year-old Gertrude Gardner had her second COVID-19 vaccination shot at the Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital vaccine clinic in Sumter on Wednesday. She was "very happy" to get the full vaccine dose, and her daughter, not pictured, was also excited …

Pandemic-induced festival cancellations make impact in Sumter beyond events' schedules Festivals and events are often more than simply a fun outing for friends and family. Many held locally are fundraisers for nonprofits, spread awareness of the hosting area and bring in tourists - …

After clarification, Sumter School District vaccination survey results more promising A survey administered by the state Department of Education on potential vaccination participation for K-12 teachers and staff across the state created some unintended consequences and confusion locally. Sumter School District Executive Director …

Some spring Sumter festivals canceled while others are up in the air because of virus For the second year in a row, Sumter's streets could remain bare without annual spring festivals taking over the town because of the continuance of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some festivals' boards and committees are in limbo with whether to hold …

S.C. school districts to get $846M more in COVID-19 relief funds; Sumter in line for $23.6M South Carolina school districts are about to receive access to a much bigger pile of COVID-19 relief funds, and the state Department of Education wants it to go toward implementing full, five-day, face-to-face classroom instruction. A total of …

Sumter officers report few community mask compliance complaints Not going anywhere without a mask in their pocket, car or already on their face is a way of life now for many, but enforcing the issue for those who don't don them remains a decision at the local level. Almost a year has gone by since a face mask …

Clarendon School District 2 to offer 4 days per week of in-person instruction in March Clarendon School District 2 officials announced they will begin to offer four days of in-person instruction for all students starting on March 1. In a letter from Clarendon School District 2, school officials said these four in-person days …

Homeschool enrollment in Sumter up 198 students Roughly half of Sumter School District's decline in total student enrollment this school year went to the homeschool ranks, but many of those families may go back after the pandemic. Jade McLeod, the district's executive director of instruction, …

Sumter School District officials attribute better fall testing to virtual setting, parent help As the 2020-21 school year progresses, more and more effects from the COVID-19 pandemic are coming to the surface and causing headaches for parents and educators alike. Much has been shared on the "COVID-19 slide" in achievement since schools …

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More news

J&J's 1-dose shot cleared, giving U.S. 3rd COVID-19 vaccine WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose …

U.S. advisers endorse single-shot COVID-19 vaccine from J&J WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health advisers endorsed a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson on Friday, putting the nation on the cusp of adding an easier-to-use option to fight the …

S.C. lifts pandemic limits on alcohol sales, mass gatherings COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is lifting state pandemic restrictions on mass gatherings and alcohol sales, his office announced Friday.Starting Monday, restaurants and bars …

Medical oxygen scarce in Africa, Latin America amid virus DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A crisis over the supply of medical oxygen for coronavirus patients has struck nations in Africa and Latin America, where warnings went unheeded at the start of the …

FDA says single-dose shot from J&J prevents severe COVID WASHINGTON (AP) — Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine offers strong protection against severe COVID-19, according to an analysis released Wednesday by U.S. regulators that sets the …

Drug executives say big jump in vaccine supply is coming soon WASHINGTON (AP) - COVID-19 vaccine makers told Congress on Tuesday to expect a big jump in the delivery of doses during the coming month after a rocky start to inoculations, and the companies insist they will be able to provide enough for most …

S.C. teachers, essential workers could get vaccine next month COLUMBIA (AP) — Teachers, grocery store employees and other frontline essential workers in South Carolina could be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine in two to three weeks, the state's …

U.S. coronavirus death toll approaches milestone of 500,000 The U.S. stood Sunday at the brink of a once-unthinkable tally: 500,000 people lost to the coronavirus.A year into the pandemic, the running total of lives lost was about 498,000 — roughly the …

Vaccine delays leave grocery workers feeling expendable As panicked Americans cleared supermarkets of toilet paper and food last spring, grocery employees gained recognition as among the most indispensable of the pandemic's front-line workers. A year later, most of those workers are waiting their turn to …

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Sumter's Virtual COVID-19 Response

Sumter's COVID-19 Response - Featured Guest: Dr. Clay Lowder, Colonial Healthcare

Sumter's COVID-19 Response - Featured Guest: Dr. Penelope Martin-Knox, Sumter School District Superintendent

Sumter's COVID-19 Response - Featured Guest: Mayor Joe McElveen, City of Sumter

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Sumter's COVID-19 Response - Featured Guest: Dr. Clay Lowder, Colonial Healthcare

Sumter's COVID-19 Response - Featured Guest: Dr. Penelope Martin-Knox, Sumter School District Superintendent

Sumter's COVID-19 Response - Featured Guest: Mayor Joe McElveen, City of Sumter