We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.

Latest coronavirus cases

At least 3,553 people have tested positive for coronavirus in South Carolina, and 97 people have died, according to public health officials.

Officials reported 115 new cases and 10 deaths Monday, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Greenville County reported the most new cases with 27, and 11 new cases were confirmed in Richland County, DHEC said.

More than 1.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 125,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 605,000 confirmed cases and more than 25,000 deaths.

Calls to increase outreach

While African Americans make up 27 percent of South Carolina’s population, they account for 56 percent of the COVID-19 deaths, The State reported, and some lawmakers are demanding something be done.

On Tuesday, Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers, D-Spartanburg, asked Gov. Henry McMaster to establish a task force to assist minority communities with health-related issues, the outlet reported.

“This coronavirus is impacting South Carolina’s minority communities at an alarming rate,” Henderson-Myers said in a statement announcing her request of the governor. “Black people are suffering from higher rates of infection and death. This is a disturbing trend, and it will only be stopped if it is addressed in a concerted effort by state leadership.”

According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, African Americans more frequently suffer from underlying conditions that make them vulnerable to coronavirus.

Hospital puts employees on leave

Providence Hospital in Columbia is placing 51 employees on temporary leave due to the coronavirus pandemic, The State reported.

The workers will be paid 25 percent of their salaries and will still be enrolled in benefits, the outlet reported.

“Like all hospitals, in addition to fighting COVID-19 on the front lines of patient care, we have to manage the business impact we are experiencing due to significant decreases in volume and the utilization of services,” said Tina Creighton, Providence’s communications director.

Masks needed for juvenile detainees

The state Department of Juvenile Justice is asking for donations of protective masks to help prevent coronavirus spreading among detainees and staff, The State reported.

Any kind of mask, whether homemade or medical grade is welcome, the outlet reported. The DJJ has 1,400 staff and 3,500 detainees.

Prison employee dies

An employee at the Lee Correctional Institution has died due to coronavirus, the S.C. Department of Corrections announced Tuesday.

The employee, who last came into work March 27, was considered non-security personnel and had little contact with inmates, the department said according to The State.

$53 million in unemployment paid

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce paid out $53 million Sunday to 64,000 South Carolinians on unemployment, using Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation funds, The State reported.

These payments come even as the department still awaits federal funding to launch new benefits programs, the outlet reported.

2 charged after police break up party

Police in Horry County say they charged two 21-year-olds after breaking up a party for the second night in a row at a house near Coastal Carolina University, The Sun News reports. The two were charged with unlawful assembly under the governor’s emergency order limiting social gatherings.

School employee dies after testing positive for COVID-19

A bus driver for Horry County Schools who previously tested positive for coronavirus has died, school officials told The Sun News on Monday.

“I am just devastated,” board chairman Ken Richardson wrote in a statement. “My sympathies go out to the family. We lost a member of our HCS family.”

According to Sun News, Richardson said on social media that he doesn’t believe the bus driver had recently been in contact with any HCS students.

Auto industry hit hard

Automative suppliers in South Carolina have laid off 4,674 workers since the spread of coronavirus began last month, according to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

ZF Transmissions in Laurens County saw the biggest layoffs, with 2,300 workers now out of a job, The State reports. The BMW plant in Greer and the new Volvo plant in Ridgeville have also temporarily closed.

Probation employee tests positive

An employee of the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials say.

The Lancaster County worker is now self-isolating, and the agency has identified and notified the people he or she was near.

It’s unclear how the person contracted the virus.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 7:28 AM.