Coronavirus updates for June 29: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in South Carolina. Check back each week for updates.

Over 10,500 COVID-19 cases in S.C. last week

At least 1.5 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and at least 18,033 people have died of the virus since March 2020, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday, June 28, reported 10,654 COVID-19 cases and five coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending June 25. The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.

Data shows COVID-19 cases are up about 7% compared to this time last week and hospitalizations jumped nearly 5%. As of June 26, 266 people in the state were hospitalized with coronavirus, including 36 patients being treated in intensive care and 12 patients on ventilators, the latest available data shows.

The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina during the week of June 18, according to the latest available state data. The DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory conducts sequencing on randomly chosen samples as part of nationwide efforts to identify new strains of the virus, the agency’s website reads.

About 52% percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 60% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.

SC nurse accused of lying about making fake COVID vaccine cards

A South Carolina nurse is facing time in prison after she’s accused of lying to federal agents about making fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, according to The State.

Tammy McDonald, a director of nursing at a PruittHealth nursing facility, pleaded guilty before a federal judge on Wednesday, June 22, the newspaper reported. Lying to a federal agent is a felony and carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Evidence presented in the case showed McDonald peddled the phony vaccination cards last summer to help “various family members” who had not gotten the shot, prosecutors said.

A sentencing hearing has been set for Sept. 30.

Read the full story here.

COVID-sniffing dogs can also detect long COVID symptoms, study suggests

Dogs trained to sniff out COVID-19 in patients can also detect lingering symptoms associated with the virus, better known as long COVID, according to a German research study.

The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, found that dogs that had been trained to identify the coronavirus in previous studies could detect long COVID patient samples with a “high sensitivity,” McClatchy News reported, citing study authors.

For the study, researchers had nine dogs stick their noses into scent holes containing saliva samples from patients with long COVID. Samples of saliva, sweat and urine from COVID-positive and COVID-negative patients were also included for comparison.

“These results suggest that the disease-specific odor of acute COVID-19 is still present in the majority of Long COVID samples,” University of Veterinary Medicine researchers wrote.

For more on the study, read the full story here.

Keep getting COVID? Risk of health issues increases each time, study says

Repeated COVID-19 infections may increase the risk of health complications after initial infection, a non-peer reviewed study suggests.

The report, published as a preprint on June 17, identified increased health risks in vaccinated and unvaccinated people — including those who got the booster shot — when they get reinfected, according to researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine and VA Saint Louis Health Care System.

Study authors found that with every coronavirus re-infection, individuals faced a higher risk of hospitalization, death and long-term health issues from the virus.

“Risks were lowest in people with 1 infection, increased in people with 2 infections, and highest in people with 3 or more infections,” according to the report.

Read the full story here.

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