Covid-19 cases and deaths are significantly lower than in previous years, according to The New York Times.
Health experts said herd immunity and widespread vaccination have contributed to falling case rates, and access to at-home testing has also diminished the effectiveness of state and national Covid-19 monitoring systems.
Meanwhile, state reports show the community level of the Covid-19 virus has remained low in the Charleston area, and 10 people died statewide from Covid in the week ending April 22.
The pandemic could ostensibly be drawing to a close, The Times reported, or infection rates might be in a lull before numbers rise in July, which has been a consistent pattern for the past two years.
One expert, Dr. Robert Wachter at the University of California, San Francisco, said the vast number of people with vaccinations and immunity from previous infections are a big reason the pandemic is viewed as a thing of the past.
Infectious disease physician Dr. Taison Bell at the University of Virginia told The Times he isn’t seeing a lot of cases in which those with Covid infections need a ventilator, and most people who contract Covid have preexisting conditions or aren’t vaccinated.
Though no new troubling variants have cropped up in the last year-and-a-half since Omicron, experts say that could change quickly. Health officials still encourage masks in crowded public spaces such as planes and special preventative measures for immunocompromised individuals and their loved ones.
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 April 25, Charleston County’s community level has remained low in line with the previous reporting period.
For the week ending April 22, Covid-related hospitalizations in Charleston decreased 38% in comparison to the week ending April 15. For the week ending April 22, state officials reported 10 people died from Covid-19 — 3 fewer deaths than the previous week. In this period, 1,421 new cases were reported — 95 more 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 April 16-22. In other data:
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ with at least one vaccine: 69.7%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ who have completed vaccination: 60.8%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 5-11 with at least one vaccine: 23.7%
- 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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