With COVID-19 levels spiking, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control is urging residents to vaccinate and follow local-level guidance on wearing masks.

Lexington is one of 13 S.C. counties that is now up to a medium community level. Neighboring Richland County also has a medium community level, as do nearby counties Sumter and Orangeburg.

Community levels are a tool provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intendented to, per the agency’s website, “help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID cases in an area.”

Per DHEC, “in communities with medium levels of COVID, individuals who are at higher risk of contracting COVID as well as those who are regularly around immunocompromised individuals are encouraged to mask up, while it is optional for others.”

According to the CDC website, the agency “looks at the combination of three metrics — new COVID admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients, and total new COVID cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days — to determine the COVID community level.”

In the seven days leading up to June 9, Lexington had a new COVID case rate of 234.64 per 100,000 people. Whether the case rate is below or at/above 200 per 100,000 people serves as the baseline for determining community levels. 

If the rate is at/above 200 per 100,000 people and there were less than 10 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the past seven days (the number was 8.1 in Lexington County up through June 9), the level is medium. The county also grades as medium by the other metric — 2.8% of staffed inpatient hospital beds are in use by patients with confirmed COVID (if the case rate is above 200 per 100,000 people and this percentage is less than 10%, the level is medium).

Two counties in South Carolina, Marlboro and Dillon, both along the border with North Carolina, have high community levels per the latest data.

In Lexington County, the number of active COVID cases have risen steadily since the beginning of April. Per DHEC data, the count was 62 on April 2, 262 on April 30, 687 on May 28 and 695 on June 4.

“Part of treating COVID as an endemic virus is recognizing that we need to know the current community level and the steps to take to stay virus-free,” said DHEC Director Dr. Edward Simmer is quoted in a June 10 news release. “We are seeing more medium and high transmission across South Carolina, so we strongly encourage our residents to follow all recommendations, including masking, staying home when sick, and being vaccinated, including boosters when eligible, that will help bring these numbers back down.”

According to the CDC, in Lexington County, 59.9% of people 5 or older (who are recommended to be vaccinated by the agency) have had at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. 47% of people 5 or older in the county are fully vaccinated.

“We know the summer season brings more vacationing and public events, which creates more opportunities for virus spread,” Simmer is quoted. “So we’re asking everyone to use good judgement and take the necessary precautions to stay well themselves and to protect their family and friends. COVID is still a deadly virus that is claiming lives every week, and we all play a role in keeping ourselves and our fellow South Carolinians safe.”

COVID deaths in South Carolina have been on the downswing since late-January. From Aug. 1 to Dec. 29, DHEC reported 2,956 COVID deaths. From Jan. 1 to June 4, it reported 1,964.