Coronavirus death toll in SC reaches 150. Case counts continue to grow
Ten additional people have died after contracting the coronavirus, and 161 more were diagnosed with the virus, announced S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control officials Thursday.
That brings the statewide death toll to 150 and the number of cases to 4,917.
Of the 10 deaths announced Thursday:
- Seven were elderly patients. Two were from Fairfield County and two from Lexington County. The others were from Allendale, Richland and Spartanburg counties.
- Three were middle-aged patients who were from Aiken, Anderson and Richland counties.
Greenville County saw the largest increase in diagnosed cases Thursday.
Locally, Richland County posted 11 new cases and Lexington County announced eight.
The actual number of S.C. cases is likely much larger, according to DHEC estimates. The agency projected Thursday that the state likely has seen about 35,100 cases.
Of the identified cases, DHEC officials estimate that about 72% of patients had recovered after contracting COVID-19.
Social distancing measures have decreased the number of S.C. cases. Dr. Brannon Traxler of DHEC urged South Carolinians to continue the practice and to stay home during a Thursday call with reporters.
About 750 new cases of coronavirus are expected per week until early May, DHEC said. While some models predict that South Carolina is already passed its peak number of cases, state health department workers say there is only evidence of a flattering of the curve, but no consistent drop-off yet.
The Palmetto State saw its first coronavirus cases on March 6 in Kershaw and Charleston counties. New cases have been identified nearly every day since.
By the end of March, South Carolina saw more than 1,000 cases. But case counts each day have fluctuated due to shortages in chemicals that are a necessary part of COVID-19 tests.
In all, 44,463 tests have been performed across the state, 12,980 of which were done in DHEC’s lab.
Collectively, South Carolina hospitals are at 58.3% capacity as of Thursday, DHEC officials said. State leaders are working to increase the number of hospital beds by one-third — about 3,000 beds — by early May.
South Carolina likely reached its peak bed utilization already, Traxler said.
While the virus continues to spread across the state, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has ordered that some retail businesses be allowed to open, as well as public beaches. South Carolina has not met several criteria set by the White House for reopening the economy, though.
Schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year, McMaster announced Wednesday.
New coronavirus cases
- Abbeville (1)
- Aiken (2)
- Allendale (1)
- Anderson (3)
- Barnwell (2)
- Beaufort (5)
- Berkeley (10)
- Charleston (7)
- Chester (1)
- Chesterfield (2)
- Clarendon (12)
- Darlington (8)
- Dillon (5)
- Fairfield (1)
- Florence (19)
- Georgetown (1)
- Greenville (22)
- Horry (6)
- Kershaw (2)
- Lee (3)
- Lexington (8)
- Marlboro (1)
- Oconee (1)
- Orangeburg (2)
- Pickens (3)
- Richland (11)
- Saluda (1)
- Spartanburg (8)
- Sumter (1)
- Williamsburg (6)
- York (6)
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 4:06 PM.
