COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control held a COVID-19 vaccine briefing Wednesday, where guidelines concerning nursing home visitation in the state were updated.
Senior Deputy of Public Health Nick Davidson shared the updated nursing home visitation rules for South Carolina.
“These guidelines allow, actually require, facilities to use DHEC’s percent positive by county data," Davidson said.
Starting Wednesday, any facility that meets the following standards must allow in-person, indoor visitation:
- a less than or equal to 10 percent positivity rate in the county in which the facility is located, using DHEC’s data, and
- no COVID-19 cases among staff and/or residents in the past 14 days, and
- maintained CMS’ core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention
“The county of which they’re in has less then or equal to a 10% positivity rate, there have been no cases amongst staff, no cases of COVID amongst staff or residents in the last 14 days and that those facilities have maintained what they well know to be the core principals of COVID-19 infection prevention as provided to them by CMS," Davidson said.
According to DHEC, 177 facilities in the state were not allowing visitation prior to the change, and 43 were citing county percentage positive rates as to why.
The change in guidelines will allow those facilities to permit visitation again.
“There’s definitely a great need to make sure that the individuals in long-term care facilities are being provided the care that they need and part of that care is contact, or visitation I should say from their loved ones.”
DHEC also shared that as of Wednesday, 100% of the state's nursing homes have had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 86% have had their second.