Covid update: Covid public health emergency expires next week

The Biden administration is poised to end many Covid-19 vaccine mandates when the U.S. public health emergency expires May 11, according to The New York Times.

Meanwhile, state reports show the community level of the Covid-19 virus has remained low in the Charleston area, and 15 people died statewide from Covid in the week ending April 29.

When the emergency declaration comes to a close next week, Americans will see most of the public health mandates that have dictated travel and health care stipulations disappear, The Times reported.

Although strict vaccine mandates have already phased out of colleges and local and state governments, The Times said tens of thousands of American workers and foreign travelers will enjoy fewer roadblocks as well.

The White House told The Times that while vaccination was instrumental to the health and safety of American workplaces, “we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary.”

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 May 2, Charleston County’s community level has remained low in line with the previous reporting period.

For the week ending April 29, Covid-related hospitalizations in Charleston increased 21.4% in comparison to the week ending April 22. For the week ending April 22, state officials reported 15 people died from Covid-19 — 5 more deaths than the previous week. In this period, 1,256 new cases were reported — 165 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 April 23-29. In other data: