Study: High COVID-19 positivity rate hampers South Carolina pandemic response

(The Center Square) – In an analysis gauging the effectiveness of all 50 states’ COVID-19 pandemic responses, South Carolina placed 46th – fifth-worse – in overall efficacy but led the nation in increased vaccinations during the first three months of 2021.

The rankings are included in a recent study published by Tampa, Florida-based Sykes Enterprises, a marketing, sales and technical support provider and call center operator, and is based on an array of factors.

Among them is average number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, average test positivity, average number of hospital admissions per 100 beds, average percentage of hospitals with supply shortages, average weekly growth rate of vaccine dose distribution per 100,000, percent of vaccine doses used, the first states to issue mask mandates and states with stay-at-home orders.

The data used in the study was extracted from HealthData.gov’s COVID-19 State Profile Report from January to March and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States report for April.

According to the analysis, South Carolina had the fourth-most COVID-19 positive cases (293.5) per 100,000 residents between January and March, trailing only New York (316), New Jersey (303.6) and Rhode Island (295.4).

The study cited high positivity rate and Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive orders on parent choice on masks in schools, restricting mask mandates and banning vaccine passports as reasons for South Carolina’s fifth-worse ranking, scoring 37.38 out of a possible 100 in Sykes’ analysis.

Only Utah (35.63), Georgia (34.30), Oklahoma (33.37) and Kentucky (28.33) scored lower in the study.

Noting eight of the bottom 10 are southern states, the study said, “While some southern officials have been outspoken in their hands-off approach to lockdowns and business closures, others, like those in Kentucky, have enforced restrictions and extended policies like mask mandates” creating a quilt of confusion.

The study found Hawaii had the most-effective response, scoring 84.14.

“Hawaii worked quickly to institute strict policies for its 1.41 million residents that would protect them and prevent tourists from introducing more COVID cases to the island state,” the study said.

Despite having the fifth-least effective COVID-19 response over the first three months of the year, Sykes ranked South Carolina first in the nation in highest weekly growth in distributing vaccine doses during that same time span.

According to the study, the number of vaccine doses distributed in South Carolina increased by a week-to-week average of 21.61% from January through March.

South Dakota (20.9%), Nevada (20.58%) and New Mexico (20.27%) were the only other states to increase vaccinations by a weekly average of 20% during the span.

The South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) requires vaccine providers log daily reports documenting vaccine doses administered. There are three companies supplying vaccines in South Carolina: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

According to Pfizer-BioNTech’s May 17 vaccination update, it has delivered 2.45 million vaccine doses with 1.037 million first shots and 866,776 second shots administered. More than 78% of its vaccines have been utilized.

Moderna’s report cited 1.952 million doses delivered with 766,400 first shots and 587,622 second shots administered for a utilization rate of 69%.

Johnson & Johnson’s report documented 325,000 single-dose vaccines delivered and 113,355 administered with nearly 65% available for use.

The study found 42 of 50 states issued stay-at-home or safer-at-home orders. Those that responded sooner tended to fare better in Sykes’ analysis, but there are contradictions.

New Jersey, Maryland, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Hawaii were the first states to issue mask mandates. Of those, only Rhode Island and New Jersey are not in the top 10. But North Dakota, which never issued a stay-at-home order, ranks sixth-best in pandemic response.

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square