More Horry County kids and teens got COVID in August than in any other month in 2021
Horry County saw one of the worst months of the pandemic in August, and cases of the virus have zeroed in on new demographic in the area: children and teens.
More Horry County children and teens tested positive for COVID-19 in August than in any other month of 2021, data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) show.
From August 1 to August 31, 897 kids aged 10 and under had COVID-19, nearly tripling the next-highest number. In January, 302 kids under the age of 10 were infected, DHEC data show. All other months in 2021 were below 300 cases per month.
In the next age group, which is largely eligible for vaccination, 1,421 adolescents aged 11 to 20 tested positive, DHEC data show. About 10% of new COVID-19 cases in Horry County during August were kids 10 and under, and another 16% of new cases were in the 11-20 age group.
During the most recent surge that experts say is largely driven by the super-contagious delta variant, doctors also stress that the vaccination rate among young people is likely driving the shift in case numbers as well.
“The reason we’re seeing younger people getting sick with COVID isn’t so much because of the delta variant, it’s because those are the folks who are under-vaccinated,” said Dr. Gerald Harmon, vice president of medical affairs at Tidelands Health.
While the younger population is less likely to be hospitalized, ventilated or die of the coronavirus, local doctors have stressed the importance of getting vaccinated to minimize the likelihood of spreading the virus to more vulnerable populations.
The COVID-19 vaccine is only approved for people 12 and older, so the youngest age group can’t be immunized through vaccination, which could partly explain the higher case numbers in the youngest age group.
But people in their teens, 20s and 30s who are eligible for the vaccine aren’t getting vaccinated at a high enough rate, doctors say. Only about 9,000 Horry County residents age 12-19 have gotten at least one dose of the vaccination, according to DHEC data.
The latest numbers come as Horry County Schools returned to the classroom without a mask requirement in place, and nearly 1,000 students have tested positive as of Thursday. Another 10,000 students are in quarantine due to exposure, district data shows.
Highest case count of 2021 in Horry County
In August, Horry County also recorded this year’s highest number of COVID-19 cases regardless of age group. With 8,882 cases in August, the county surpassed this year’s previous high of 8,411 which was recorded in January.
Hospitalizations have also increased in the last few weeks, stressing hospitals and bringing healthcare workers back to the “war mentality” inside the hospitals that many thought was behind them.
In the last seven days, Horry County’s positivity rate is 18%, according to data kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Around 92% of the county’s hospital beds are occupied, driven by 189 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, DHEC data show.
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 2:15 PM.
