Daniel Prince
Latest surge in cases seems to have peaked
As September has come to an end, it’s worth a look at how COVID is affecting Union County. All of the figures cited come from DHEC, with population figures by ZIP code coming from Census estimates.
First, a look at the vaccination numbers:
Statewide vaccination figures: 60.3% of eligible SC citizens (ages 12+) have gotten at least one vaccination. 52% have completed their vaccinations (both shots of Pfizer/Moderna, single-shot Johnson & Johnson). South Carolina currently has the 11th-lowest vaccination rate in the nation.
County vaccination figures: Out of an estimated 23,645 who are 12+ in Union County, 11,423 (48.3%) have had at least one vaccination. 9797 (41.4%) have completed their vaccinations. Union County has the 5th-lowest vaccination rate in the state.
Based on Census estimates for population by ZIP code, the Carlisle area, ZIP code 29031, leads the county with a 55.7% vaccination rate. The Buffalo area, ZIP code 29321, has the lowest rate in the county at 30.8%. The 29379 ZIP code has a 44.5% vaccination rate, and the Jonesville area, 29353, has a 42.7% vaccination rate. DHEC does not list Lockhart’s ZIP code on their map, and it is unclear into which ZIP code they put the town’s numbers.
Who is getting the vaccine in Union County? More females than males in every age group are getting vaccinated. The age breakdowns are as follows:
4428 ages 65+
2600 ages 55-64
1606 ages 45-54
1016 ages 35-44
837 ages 25-34
369 ages 20-24
533 ages 12-19
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, Union County has had a total of 4172 cases, 309 hospitalizations, and 94 deaths. Since mid-July, when the latest spike was beginning, there have been 983 total cases reported. Of those, 622 came from the 29379 ZIP code, 142 came from 29353, 117 came from 29321, and 32 came from 29301. The other ZIP codes in Pacolet, Enoree, and Whitmire have had fewer than 5 cases. For whatever reason, DHEC does not list Lockhart’s ZIP code on their map. 175 cases in the county have come in the last two weeks.
Hospital and death figures are not broken down by ZIP code in the reports. In the latest spike since mid-July, 12 deaths have been reported in Union County.
The good news: we have been seeing a downward trend in case numbers across the state, within the county, and within the school district. School district case numbers peaked the week leading into Labor Day. Hospital numbers have been slowly but steadily dropping over the past two weeks or more, with 19.3% fewer people hospitalized with COVID than last week, 10% fewer people in ICU with COVID, 7.8% fewer people on ventilators with COVID, and 25.3% fewer new hospital admissions with COVID than last week.