AP: South Carolina giving up on some contact tracing efforts

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina’s health department says it is giving up on trying to contact trace each individual coronavirus case in the state. The Department of Health and Environmental Control said Thursday that it was switching from a “containment” to a “mitigation” approach. That means contact tracers will focus on exposed household contacts and people in places where a lot of spread is possible. Health officials say people should no longer expect to get a call from contact tracers if they are exposed to a case. The agency said earlier Thursday that it will now allow medical students, retired nurses and other qualified professionals to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.