S.C. health department says COVID-19 surge too high to do complete contact tracing

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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 the first two weeks of 2021 alone, more than 45,200 people in the Palmetto State were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus, including more than 4,800 on Wednesday, only a couple hundred shy of the record 5,077 cases announced Jan. 6, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
There have now been nearly 337,900 confirmed cases and 5,420 confirmed deaths related to the virus in the state.
Wednesday’s update included 72 new cases in Sumter, 16 in Clarendon and 19 in Lee counties.
“Until the COVID-19 vaccines become more readily available and enough people are vaccinated, we must all act now or continue to face unprecedented numbers of cases that are overwhelming our hospitals and health care systems, as well as taking the lives of those we love,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, interim public health director for DHEC. “To do that, every one of us must recommit to the fight. We are all on the front lines. If we don’t act now, we could face many dark months ahead.”
As of Jan. 12, 88.6% of the total positive cases for which DHEC has symptom data have recovered, according to provisional data.
Amid a slow rollout of getting vaccines into arms and long wait times to schedule appointments once the state opened eligibility to anyone aged 70 and over this week, health care centers are trying to increase their vaccine capacity.
Prisma Health, which operates Sumter’s Tuomey Hospital, announced Wednesday it is setting up community vaccination sites next week with the expectation of as many as 10,000 shots being administered a day, though they’re currently only first slated to be in Greenville and Columbia, the state’s hardest-hit areas.
A news release from the health system said access will be expanded as more vaccine supply becomes available to South Carolina and that it plans to use mobile health clinics to reach the state’s rural communities. Some of those specially outfitted vans could be ready by the end of February, the release said.
Prisma Health Chief Ambulatory Medical Officer Dr. Saria Saccocio, co-lead of the health system’s vaccine task force, said in a media briefing late last week there have only been three moderate reactions to the vaccine and no severe reactions from Prisma-administered shots.
The rising cases and slow vaccine rollout come as South Carolina, like other states across the nation, continues to also face an “unprecedented increase in patient hospitalizations, causing a decrease in the availability of beds in our emergency departments, hospitals, intensive care units and supply of ventilators,” a DHEC release said Wednesday.
DHEC said many hospitals are starting to again cancel elective services to “deal with the overwhelming increase in the number of patients.”
Prisma Health President and CEO Mark O’Halla said in the recent media briefing that staffing is a “day in and day out challenge” because of their community exposure and need to quarantine.
“Once we get more folks vaccinated, we can open more beds,” he said.
Because of the sustained surge, DHEC is transitioning from containment to mitigation, meaning there are too many cases across the state to investigate individually. Now, instead of attempting to find close contacts of every case, investigations will be prioritized to those who have tested positive or were diagnosed in the past six days, and the public should not expect any notifications that they were exposed to a case.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell warned of this situation if new cases surpassed 1,000 a day during the summer, when the virus surged to what was at that point unprecedented levels. Those levels have been regularly doubled since Christmas.
Until enough people are vaccinated, which could take the better part of the year, public health officials stress the importance of personal vigilance.
“Our chance of getting the best outcome hinges on us all doing our part,” DHEC’s Traxler said.
She said the public can take “small steps that make a big difference,” such as wearing a mask, getting tested and staying home when you’re sick, getting tested regularly if you’re out in the community and unable to physically distance, avoiding large gatherings, and “when it’s your turn, getting vaccinated.”
Individuals eligible to receive the vaccine can fill out an online form to get their shots through Prisma Health at www.PrismaHealth.org/vaccine to get the process started. Those who don’t have access to a computer or who don’t have an individual email account can call 833-2PRISMA (833-277-4762).
To find other locations, call the DHEC Care Line at 1-855-472-3432, or go to https://bit.ly/3bIPLwu.