Fact Check: SC Gov. McMaster says COVID rates are ‘way below’ 2020’s numbers. Are they?

During a Fox News interview last week, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster defended his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and support for prohibiting mask mandates in schools.

He claimed the state’s COVID-19 cases weren’t as bad as a year ago and accused health officials of exaggerating and using “hyperbole” when discussing the seriousness of the pandemic.

“Yes, the rates are going up, but they’re way below what they were a year ago,” McMaster told millions of Fox News viewers.

But data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control tell quite a different story.

On Aug. 1, 2020, the agency reported 1,172 confirmed cases and 38 probable cases of coronavirus.

Exactly one year later, on the day McMaster made his claim, DHEC reported 1,684 confirmed cases and 419 probable cases.

That’s 893 more COVID-19 cases and an increase of 73.8% from where the state was last year — and cases continue to trend in the wrong direction.

On Saturday, Aug. 7, DHEC reported 2,467 cases, an increase of 98% — nearly double — the 1,241 reported exactly a year earlier. On Aug. 8, DHEC reported another 2,204 cases, more than doubling the 1,085 reported on the same day a year earlier.

South Carolina has reported more COVID-19 cases over the past week than at any time outside of the surge in cases between mid-December and early February, when cases peaked at more than twice the current weekly count.

Though the COVID-19 vaccine has since become available to anyone age 12 and older, just 45.2% of all South Carolina residents are fully vaccinated. The low vaccination rate, which is among the worst in the country, and the highly contagious delta variant are behind the spike in cases around the state, according to health experts, who are urging people to wear masks again to limit the spread of the virus.

McMaster, in the same interview, encouraged SC residents to book their vaccine appointments, but only if they felt comfortable, adding that he would not force anyone to do so.

To date, South Carolina has reported 9,992 COVID-related deaths and more than 645,000 total cases.

This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Fact Check: SC Gov. McMaster says COVID rates are ‘way below’ 2020’s numbers. Are they?."

Andrew Caplan

The State

803-771-8390

Andrew Caplan is a watchdog journalist who hails from Florida. He comes to The State Media Company after winning several statewide awards for investigations on elected officials and government entities. He holds a master’s degree from the University of South Florida.