Word from Walhalla and Clemson — COVID still here

COVID restrictions are being lifted in large urban centers, but the virus is still a continuous problem for rural states such as South Carolina and small towns such as Clemson and Walhalla.  The Walhalla administrator, Brandon Burton, reported last night that “several city hall workers have contracted the virus and, of late, have only begun to trickle back to their work stations.   At Clemson, those who track infections thru Pendleton/Clemson wastewater say the most recent results indicate “there are still quite a few infected individuals in all three sewersheds.”  A dashboard statement reads:  “….for the 2/3/22 sample from Pendleton/Clemson, Biobot detected the highest concentration we’ve seen since monitoring started at that treatment plant, over 1.5 million copies per liter.”  The latest positivity reported by DHEC for South Carolina was 19% on Monday.  Statewide, there were 145 new deaths, two of them Oconee County residents.  Oconee’s running confirmed death toll has broken 300–now at 302 along with 19 other deaths considered probable virus deaths.