Lowcountry doctors weigh in on debate over masks in S.C. schools Lowcountry doctors weigh in on debate over masks in S.C. schools By Kristen Rary | May 5, 2021 at 7:38 PM EDT - Updated May 5 at 7:38 PM BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - According to the Centers for Disease Control, there have now been more than 32 million cases of COVID-19 nationwide. The weekly number of nationwide cases is trending downwards. Last week there were more than 319,000 new cases reported nationwide for all ages. Data from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that COVID cases in children represent 22 percent of weekly new cases nationwide.