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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Frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and SC's rollout plan

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.
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Ricky Simmons, youth pastor and director of the House of Hope at Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church, goes through boxes of food items that will be distributed to congregants and community members in need.
Sumter mirrors SC, nation in COVID-19's disproportionate impact on African-Americans
PHOTO PROVIDEDBarbara Davis of Florence receives the Bamlanivimab infusion treatment for COVID-19 on Jan. 19 at McLeod Regional Medical Center. The treatment is also available at McLeod Health Clarendon.
Outpatient infusion treatment for COVID-19 available at McLeod Health Clarendon with doctor's referral
The City of Sumter mask mandate has been extended through March 21.
Sumter City Council extends mask mandate another 60 days
A McLeod Health Clarendon employee is given her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine in December 2020.
Vaccine supply from federal government remains limited
PHOTOS PROVIDED Church volunteers prepare to unload USDA food boxes off the back of a truck at a past drive-thru giveway at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Sumter.
Sumter's Trinity Missionary Baptist Church is ready for next USDA food distribution
Local resources
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 …
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 …
How to navigate restaurants during COVID-19: A guide to Palmetto Priority in Sumter, Clarendon, Lee counties  
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 …

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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.
Sumter School District delays in-person return to Feb. 1 amid COVID-19 surge Sumter School District will not return to hybrid/blended instruction Thursday as originally planned and is pushing back that date about 10 days to Feb. 1, due to COVID-19 incidence rates in the …
Data for new COVID_19 cases diagnosed per day statewide are seen on this chart.
S.C. health department says COVID-19 surge too high to do complete contact tracing As more South Carolinians are testing positive for COVID-19 than in any other month of the pandemic, hospitals are nearing capacity, emergency departments are overwhelmed, and ventilator use is up.In …
Dr. Gene Dickerson, a surgeon at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital and currently the hospital's chief medical officer, receives his first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot on Dec. 23, 2020.
COVID-19 vaccine soon open to all in SC aged 70 and over More South Carolinians will soon be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Any resident who is 70 years or older, regardless of health status, can schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine …
Frontline medical workers at McLeod Health Clarendon received the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Manning in mid-December.
Hospital patients over 65 can now get COVID-19 vaccine, SC public health department says South Carolina’s public health agency updated its vaccine protocol guidance on Friday, saying hospitals should begin to vaccinate admitted patients who are 65 years and older and do not have …
Morris College will allow students to return to campus for in-person instruction with the start of the spring semester, which is now scheduled for Jan. 22.
Morris College will open Sumter campus for spring term With the majority of its current and prospective students preferring a face-to-face classroom learning option, Morris College will offer in-person instruction and single-room-occupancy dormitories with the start of the spring semester. Andrew …

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Lucky few hit COVID-19 vaccine jackpot for rare extra doses Fortune struck one man in the bakery aisle at the supermarket. Two others were working the night shift at a Subway sandwich shop. Yet another was plucked from a list of 15,000 hopefuls.With millions …
Health experts blame rapid expansion for vaccine shortages Public health experts Thursday blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration's push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the …
This photo provided by Eli Lilly shows the drug Bamlanivimab, the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19. Antibodies are made by the immune system to fight the virus but it can take several weeks after infection for the best ones to form.
Lilly: Drug can prevent COVID-19 illness in nursing homes INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Drugmaker Eli Lilly said Thursday its antibody drug can prevent COVID-19 illness in residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care locations.It's the first …
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is seen at Covenant Place in Sumter, South Carolina, in December.
S.C. adds some parents to vaccine list COLUMBIA - South Carolina health officials have slightly expanded the pool of people eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination as seniors and some health care workers continue to struggle to secure access to the lifesaving vaccine. State …
Dr. Alan Roth talks to reporters at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in New York recently. Dozens of clinics have cropped up across the U.S. to address a puzzling and troubling aspect of COVID-19 - the after-effects that can stubbornly afflict some people weeks or months after the infection itself has subsided.
'We know this is real': New clinics aid virus 'long-haulers' NEW YORK - COVID-19 came early for Catherine Busa, and it never really left. The 54-year-old New York City school secretary didn't have any underlying health problems when she caught the coronavirus in March, and she recovered at her Queens …

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Sumter's Virtual COVID-19 Response.

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

We went live with Dr. Lowder via Zoom earlier today and got all the latest on what he and his team at Colonial Healthcare are doing to curb the spread of this virus. Be sure to check back with us …

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

We went live with the superintendent via Zoom earlier today and got all the latest on what she and her team at the Sumter School District are doing to keep things moving smoothly for the …

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

We talked to the mayor live on Zoom earlier today, with the public also viewing and submitting questions, about the city’s response to this pandemic. He gave some insightful and honest thoughts …
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