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Quin Hatten

DHEC Will Begin Reporting COVID-19 Data Weekly on March 15, Closing More Testing Sites

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Beginning March 15, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) will transition to reporting COVID-19 data once a week on Tuesdays. Data will include COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccinations, among other data points. Data that is currently reported weekly, such as MIS-C cases and COVID-19 variants, will be reported on Tuesdays as well. This weekend’s data will be reported Tuesday, March 15. “Tracking daily case numbers is less…

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DHEC Supports CDC’s Updated Approach to Tracking COVID-19 Virus, Which Focuses on Severe Cases

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday it is changing its approach to tracking COVID-19 burden by reducing focus on daily case counts and putting emphasis on severe cases that result in hospitalizations. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) supports this approach, as it mirrors the agency’s recently announced method of tracking COVID-19 across the state. “We announced last month that our goal is to…

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City of Columbia Public Relations, Media and Marketing Team Wins Two Awards of Merit in 2021 Silver Quill Awards

By Press Releases

The City of Columbia Public Relations, Media and Marketing Department has won two awards of merit in the 2021 Silver Quill Awards. The team was recognized in the category of “COVID-19 communications skills – COVID-19 communication for the web” for the Resilient Columbia microsite. As well as “COVID-19 communications skills – COVID-19 social media” for the campaign, ‘It’s Your Shot, Columbia!’. The award was received from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Southern Region….

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DHEC Issues Updated Schools and Childcare Centers Guidance for Managing COVID-19 as an Endemic

By Press Releases

  COLUMBIA, S.C.— As the impact of COVID-19 continues to decline, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today provided guidance to schools and childcare centers to help transition from Test to Stay and quarantine to learning, working, and living with COVID-19 with minimal disruptions. “DHEC recognizes that our state’s two-year response to this virus has had a significant impact on our families, children, and educators,” said DHEC Director Dr. Edward Simmer….

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DHEC Announces Planned Reductions in COVID-19 Testing Operations

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C.—With the accuracy, convenience, and widespread availability of rapid at-home tests, and a significant decrease in demand for drive-through PCR testing, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is today announcing a shift in its COVID-19 testing strategy toward at-home rapid antigen tests across South Carolina beginning March 1. A prime driver of these changes is that with increased availability of rapid antigen testing, it is now the most effective testing…

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DHEC Supports CDC Report on Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant People and Their Babies

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Tuesday in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that an initial COVID-19 two-dose vaccine series during pregnancy can help prevent COVID-19 hospitalizations among infants under six months of age in addition to the protection the vaccine offers for pregnant people. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) supports this scientific study and encourages all pregnant people across the state…

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DHEC Expands Test to Stay Recommendation to Include Childcare Facilities, Updates K-12 COVID-19 Guidance

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has updated its COVID-19 Guidance for Childcare Centers to include a Test to Stay (TTS) recommendation, similar to the one already being implemented by South Carolina school districts. In addition, DHEC has modified its COVID-19 Guidance for K-12 schools to include updated standards for masking and TTS requirements for sports and other extracurricular activities. Changes to both documents are in response to…

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DHEC Applauds White House’s Free N95 Mask Initiative; Highlights CDC Study on Mask Effectiveness in COVID-19 Prevention

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The White House recently announced its efforts to provide 400 million N95 masks to U.S. citizens to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) supports this initiative and encourages residents take advantage of this free resource. DHEC does not play a role in the receipt or distribution of the masks. Pharmacies nationwide were asked if they wanted to serve as a distribution location, and…

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DHEC’s Test to Stay Program Keeps More Students in School; State Health Officials Encourage Schools to Implement

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is strongly encouraging schools across the state to utilize the Test to Stay (TTS) program to better ensure that healthy students can continue in-person learning. This program allows rapid tests to be performed on K-12 students who have been exposed to a COVID-19 infected person in the hope that more of them can remain in class. Rather than immediately moving close contacts…

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DHEC Announces Premier Medical Cleared Testing Backlogs, Returning Wait Times to Standard Turnaround Times

By Press Releases

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is pleased to announce that Premier Medical Laboratory Services and DHEC’s other testing vendors are reporting all backlogs have been cleared and turnaround times for COVID-19 test results are back to the standard 48-hour time frame. According to Premier Chief Executive Officer Kevin Murdock, Premier corrected its backlog of surge-related testing through the investment of millions of dollars in additional equipment and the hiring…

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