Concerns over increased South Carolina COVID deaths

At the state health agency in Columbia, the health director admits she’s worried about increased numbers of deaths in the last two or three weeks.  And Dr. Traxler urges South Carolinians to follow the recommended ways to try to protect against the virus.  In the first week of ’23 there were 68 deaths statewide, mostly among the elderly.  The fact that in previous weeks deaths were 61 and 48 respectively makes for what Traxler called a concerning trend.  There’s no one cluster of where South Carolinians are dying, although she mentioned Horry, Spartanburg, and Richland deaths were higher than other counties.  Like Pickens, the three counties just mentioned are in the red category for high COVID levels.  Oconee and Anderson are yellow, or medium, transmission counties.  Masking is often given as a deterrent, but Traxler conceded that COVID fatigue is responsible for why many people are not as careful to protect themselves as they were in the first couple of years of the pandemic.