Lexington County’s rate of new COVID-19 cases went up this week after two weeks of declines.

The case rate in the seven days leading up to  Sept. 1 was 363.18 per 100,000 people, up 36.65% from the 265.77 reported the previous week.

This is the rate that went into Lexington County continuing to grade as high according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Community Levels, a tool that uses the latest local data to provide weekly updates on best practices for combating the virus. The high level triggers a universal recommendation from the CDC and the state Department of Health and Environmental Control to mask in indoor public places in the county.

Last week, the case rate had dropped more than 27% (from 366.53 per 100,000). The week before that, it dropped by nearly 17% (from 441.7 per 100,000).

The county went up in one of the other two metrics that go into the Community Levels and down in the other. There were 14.8 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the county (up from 14.6), and the number of inpatient hospital beds occupied by COVID patients was 4.7% (down from 5.3%).

The number of high Community Levels across the state ticked up this week. 25 counties graded high, while 16 graded as medium and five graded as low. Last week, 16 counties graded as high.

Among Lexington County’s neighbors, three (Saluda, Newberry and Richland) three graded as high this week, and three graded as medium (Aiken, Orangerburg and Calhoun).

Coinciding with the release of the updated Community Levels, DHEC reported that it is backing recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the CDC for the first updated COVID booster vaccinations to gain approval, aimed at better protecting against the Omicron variant.

Recommended are:

• Pfizer-BioNTech updated booster for people ages 12 years and older
• Moderna updated booster vaccine for people ages 18 years and older

“The updated COVID-19 boosters contain a component that is the original vaccine formulation and have added Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components that help restore protection and make the vaccines more effective against the Omicron variant and other variants and subvariants,” a DHEC release states, comparing this approach to updating COVID vaccines to the way the U.S. already fights the flu.

"We expect the updated COVID-19 boosters to be available at vaccine providers around the state late next week,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Public Health Director, is quoted. "The authorization of these updated booster shots is another example of how science evolves, just as viruses do, to equip us with the most effective means possible for protecting human health. I encourage all South Carolinians to stay current on their recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, and for those who are eligible to receive this safe and effective booster to do so once they’re available in the coming days.”