The U.S. did not fall prey to another Covid-19 surge this winter despite the expectation that cases would spike during colder months as happened in previous years, according to ABC News.
Health experts said increased immunity, greater access to treatments and adherence to mitigation measures such as vaccinations are some reasons why America didn’t experience a heavy bout of Covid transmission, ABC News reported.
Meanwhile, state reports show the community level of the Covid-19 virus has changed from medium to low in the Charleston area, and 18 people died statewide from Covid in the week ending March 11.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed weekly Covid-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 1.7 million in January 2021 and surpassed 5.6 million in January 2022, ABC News reported. The most recent peak in weekly cases hit 472,601 in December, making 2023 the first year the Covid wave did not surpass 1 million cases during the cold season.
Latest COVID-19 data
State health officials encourage residents to refer to the CDC’s community levels map to track the severity of Covid-19. As of March 14, Charleston County’s community level has changed from medium to low since the previous reporting period.
For the week ending March 11, Covid-related hospitalizations in Charleston were down 38.3% in comparison to the week ending March 4. For the week ending March 11, state officials reported 18 people died from Covid-19 — 22 fewer deaths than the previous week. In this period, 1,874 new cases were reported — 889 fewer than the previous reporting period.
SCDHEC transitioned to weekly reporting of new Covid data in December 2022. The most recent numbers were reported Tuesday and covered March 5-11. In other data:
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ with at least one vaccine: 69.6%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ who have completed vaccination: 60.7%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 5-11 with at least one vaccine: 23.6%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 5-11 who have completed vaccination: 19.6%
For more information, visit the S.C. SCDHEC COVID-19 dashboard.
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