Coronavirus updates for May 17: Here’s what to know in South Carolina this week
More than 5,500 COVID cases last week
At least 1.4 million coronavirus cases have been reported in South Carolina, and at least 17,891 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, May 17, reported 5,566 new COVID-19 cases and 10 coronavirus-related deaths for the week ending May 14. The counts include probable and confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.
Data shows COVID-19 cases are up 22% compared to this time last week, and hospitalizations have fallen 5%. As of May 15, 123 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 20 patients being treated in intensive care units and six patients on ventilators.
The omicron variant accounted for 100% of coronavirus strains identified in South Carolina during the week of May 7, 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.
Nearly 55% percent of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and over 63% have received at least one dose, state health data shows.
Third round of free at-home COVID tests available to order, USPS says
U.S. households can now order a third round of free, at-home COVID-19 tests, according to the U.S Postal Service.
Those who order testing kits will receive two packs of four rapid antigen tests in the mail. Shipping is free, officials said, and each order will be assigned a tracking number.
Tests can be ordered online at covid.gov/tests or over the phone by calling 1-800-232-0233, according to the website.
The first round of free COVID-19 tests were released in January and came with four test kits, McClatchy News reported. Households could order up to eight test kits in the second round of tests, which were made available in early March.
For more information on how to get free COVID-19 test kits, read the full story here.
COVID test that can detect flu, RSV available without prescription, FDA says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized a test that can detect COVID-19, the flu and RSV, another common respiratory virus, McClatchy News reported.
The Labcorp Seasonal Respiratory Virus RT-PCR DTC Test is approved for at-home use and is available without a prescription, the FDA said. The test can differentiate between the coronavirus, influenza strains A and B, and RSV, which can cause similar symptoms such as cough and runny nose.
“While the FDA has now authorized many COVID-19 tests without a prescription, this is the first test authorized for flu and RSV, along with COVID-19, where an individual can self-identify their need for a test, order it, collect their sample and send it to the lab for testing, without consulting a health care professional,” Dr. Jeff Shuren, the director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.
For more information, read the full story here.
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