DHEC: Anderson Seeing Moderate Rise in COVID-19
Monday, January 9, 2023 at 8:52AM Observer Reports
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Services Anderson County is one of the areas in the state of continued moderate COVID-19 transmission.
The is averaging 42 new cases a day over the past two weeks, though the number has been declining slightly during that time. Just over 42 percent of the new cases are among those with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 11 people have been hospitalized with the virus in the past 14 days.
DHEC is encouraging counties in the medium and high transmission areas to follow the masking recommendations indoors. This includes all but 2 of South Carolina’s 46 counties (Aiken and Barnwell).
“We are seeing significant increases in COVID-19 cases across our state, and we know there are a lot more cases that aren’t being reported due to the use of nonreportable home tests,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Public Health Director. “Masking remains one of the best ways to limit virus spread and the CDC has a great resource to help determine when to mask in public.”
The Center for Disease Control’s Community Levels Map currently shows 21 red counties in South Carolina, meaning those with high transmission, and 23 yellow counties, or those with medium transmission.
The red counties are: Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Dorchester, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marlboro, Newberry, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, and Williamsburg.
The yellow counties are: Abbeville, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Edgefield, Florence, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Lancaster, Marion, McCormick, Oconee, Orangeburg, Saluda, and York.
“Fortunately, we have not seen a significant uptick in severe cases, meaning those that end in hospitalizations and deaths,” Traxler said. “We want that trend to continue and masking when recommended is an effective to keep each other out of the hospital and eventually bring case numbers down.”
In addition to masking, staying up to date on vaccinations and boosters, as well as testing when recommended, are important steps in preventing COVID-19 spread.