Month: January 2021

Viewers reported issues Wednesday morning, as appointments opened up for any South Carolina resident aged 70 or older, regardless of health status or preexisting conditions, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.There are two ways to make an appointment:Call 855-472-3432 or go to scdhec.gov/vaxlocator.Phone Line IssuesWYFF News 4 is aware of reports that the phone number is periodically not working when people call the above phone number. We have reached out to DHEC for information about those issues.DHEC posted on Facebook around 9:45 a.m., saying the Care Line was experiencing higher than usual call volumes and wait times."Our team is working to quickly correct technical issues and your patience is appreciated. Contact information for vaccine provider locations can also be found at scdhe...

A man was hospitalized after injecting himself with a "tea" he'd made from magic mushrooms and the fungus began to grow in his veins. In a case report published in the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry doctors describe a 30-year-old man, referred to as "Mr X" for anonymity purposes, who sought to self-medicate for opioid dependence and depression. Doctors first became aware when he was brought into the emergency department by his family, who were concerned by his state of confusion. The family reported that he had recently stopped taking medication prescribed for bipolar disorder type I, after which he began to swing between depressive and manic states of mind. It was during this perio...

Researchers in Ohio said Wednesday that they've discovered two new variants of the coronavirus that likely originated in the U.S. — one of which quickly became the dominant strain in Columbus, Ohio, over a three-week period in late December and early January. Like the strain first detected in the U.K., the U.S. mutations appear to make Covid-19 more contagious but do not seem like they will diminish the effectiveness of the vaccines, researchers said. The Ohio State University researchers have not yet published their full findings, but said a non-peer-reviewed study is forthcoming. Jason McDonald, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement to CNBC that the agency is looking at the new research. One of the new strains, found in just one p...

The news came as UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said authorities are considering putting recovering Covid-19 patients into hotels as a "backup plan," such is the intense pressure being placed on hospitals by the latest surge in infections. The UK marked its second deadliest day since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday, with 1,243 new coronavirus-related deaths. It also reported 45,533 new cases, bringing the total case number to 3,117,882. England entered its third national lockdown last week as it battles to cope with the spread of a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus. The UK government and senior health officials have warned that many hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed. At a news conference Monday, Hancock said the variant was "putting the NHS [National Heal...