Prisma Health on Wednesday held a virtual press conference to update the public on the presence of COVID in the state and their concerns for spiking case numbers as the state’s vaccination rate remains under 50 percent.
Dr. Rick Scott, the Chief Clinical Officer of Prisma Midlands, said that Prisma hospitals have seen a significantly higher number of COVID patients in recent weeks compared to the last couple months.
Listen to Dr. Scott's full comments from the press conference below:
Prisma’s Dr. Helmut Albrecht, the Medical Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, expressed concerns of more explosive spikes occurring as the new school year approaches.
He said that the other explosive spikes in countries like India appeared to start from schools, and he doesn't want to see something similar happen in South Carolina.
Dr. Albrecht said that he agrees with the CDC recommendations that individuals, including those who are vaccinated, wear masks indoors and in group settings again to limit further spread of the disease.
He explained that even those who are vaccinated can still carry the virus, especially the delta variant, to a degree where they develop symptoms and become infectious.
Dr. Albrecht also said that the vast majority of COVID cases, especially those that end up hospitalized, are of people who are unvaccinated, but breakthrough cases are still occurring.
Listen to Dr. Albrecht's full comments from the press conference below:
Dr. Robin LaCroix, the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital Medical Director, said that children are also susceptible to COVID and that middle and high school-aged children have seen a majority of youth COVID cases.
She continued that this 12-17 year-old age group is eligible to receive the COVID vaccine, but only roughly 25 percent of this group has been vaccinated.
Listen to Dr. LaCroix's full comments from the press conference below:
