SC coronavirus cases climb to 5,735. Death toll reaches 192 Tuesday
South Carolina health officials announced Tuesday that 123 additional coronavirus patients have been identified, bringing the statewide total to 5,735.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials also reported 15 deaths of people who contracted COVID-19. That brings the statewide death toll to 192.
Fourteen of the patients who died were elderly, and they came from the following counties: Berkeley (1), Charleston (1), Clarendon (1), Darlington (1), Greenville (2), Horry (3), Lancaster (1), Lee (1), Richland (2), and Sumter (1). The fifteenth person was a middle-aged individual from Clarendon County.
Richland County saw the largest increase in cases with 24 new cases. In neighboring Lexington County, officials saw 12 new coronavirus cases.
But thousands of more people across the state likely have the coronavirus. DHEC officials projected Monday that there had likely been about 40,960 cases across the state.
Tuesday, DHEC projected that about 76% of those diagnosed with the virus have recovered.
About 750 new coronavirus cases per week until early May, DHEC projects. New projections released Tuesday showed possibly larger weekly increases by mid-May; state health officials expect to see 1,208 cases per week.
By May 16, DHEC officials expect to have confirmed 9,064 cases.
Some models have shown that South Carolina has passed its peak number of cases, but state officials maintain there is only evidence of a flattening of the curve, not a consistent drop off.
South Carolina saw its first coronavirus cases on March 6 in Kershaw and Charleston counties. Nearly every day since, state health officials have identified new cases.
The Palmetto State had reached more than 1,000 tested and identified cases by the end of March. Case counts have fluctuated each day because of shortages in chemicals needed to perform coronavirus tests.
South Carolina labs have finished 53,133 tests. DHEC’s lab was responsible for 14,337 of those tests.
Hospitals across the state are at 59.8% capacity. DHEC officials have said some projections say the state has surpassed its peak hospital bed usage.
While the disease 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 last week.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 5:03 PM.
