DHEC: Record number of children hospitalized with COVID-19

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – The South Carolina Children’s Hospital Collaborative and Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) on Wednesday announced that a record-breaking number of children have been hospitalized with COVID-19.

The data includes patients at South Carolina’s four children’s hospitals:

• Prisma Health Children’s Hospital – Upstate
• McLeod Children’s Hospital
• MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital
• Prisma Health Children’s Hospital – Midlands

As of Wednesday, there are 54 children hospitalized with COVID-19. All of the children hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Half are under five years old and therefore not eligible to receive the vaccine.

11 children are in critical care and two are on ventilators. One child has been diagnosed with MIS-C.

The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 increased by 14 in a 24-hour period, with 40 total children reported Tuesday.

Children hospitalized with COVID-19 at other medical centers were not included in this data.

DHEC recommends everyone ages five and over get vaccinated to slow the spread and reduce risk of hospitalization.