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

More than 300 deaths reported

At least 7,142 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 316 have died, according to state health officials.

On Thursday, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 214 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 new deaths.

DHEC estimates there are 42,000 untested positive cases of the virus in South Carolina.

More than 3.8 million cases of the coronavirus and more than 268,000 deaths have been reported worldwide. In the United States, more than 1.2 million cases and nearly 75,000 deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University.

DHEC raises concerns over nursing homes

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control is questioning whether hospitals are being diligent enough about testing patients for coronavirus before sending them off to nursing homes, The State reported.

Nursing homes and long care facilities have been some of the places hardest hit by coronavirus across the country.

DHEC board member Sonny Kinney recounted Thursday a case in which an individual went to a hospital, wasn’t checked for COVID-19, and tested positive three hours later after being checked by the nursing home they were sent off to, according to the outlet.

“The reports I’ve been getting is that patients have been admitted to the nursing facilities from the hospital, tested upon admission and found to be positive,’’ Kinney said. “‘’What is the plan to test patients prior to leaving the hospital? Some of the hospital systems are doing it very effectively and others are not.”

Unemployment numbers continue to grow

Almost 47,000 people in South Carolina filed for new unemployment benefits last week, The State reports. This is the third week in a row that the number of new claims has dropped.

More than 450,000 people in the state have filed for unemployment since the coronavirus pandemic reached South Carolina, according to The State. Gov. Henry McMaster has begun opening up parts of the economy, including hotels and outdoor dining at restaurants, that had been shut down to slow the spread of the virus.

Myrtle Beach’s Hard Rock Cafe laying off workers

As some parts of South Carolina’s economy reopen, including allowing outdoor dining at restaurants and hotels beginning to allow guests, Myrtle Beach’s Hard Rock Cafe just announced it will lay off 82 workers, The Sun News reports.

The Hard Rock Cafe is part of Myrtle Beach’s Broadway at the Beach tourist hot spot, which has been largely closed for more than a month. The restaurant had announced furloughs for employees on April 13, according to The Sun News. Until this week, restaurants in South Carolina had been allowed to only do take-out service, but new state orders allow outdoor dining starting this week.

Second inmate dies of coronavirus

Bryan Furman, an inmate at the Allendale Correctional Institution, has died due to coronavirus, The State reported.

Furman, 60, is the second S.C. Department of Corrections inmate to die from coronavirus. Another inmate at Allendale, 70-year-old James Slater, died the day before.

Both men had underlying health conditions, officials told The State.

Wanted: contact tracers

The state is looking to hire 800 contact tracers, people tasked with tracking down individuals infected with coronavirus to prevent further spread, Gov. Henry McMaster said Wednesday.

S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control aims to have 1,000 contact tracers in total, as part of a larger effort to keep coronavirus in check. In March, DHEC only had 20 members in its contact tracing division, The State reported.

“We want to have a rapid response, knowing that people quickly become infectious with this illness,” said Dr. Joan Duwve, DHEC’s director of public health. “We can’t wait five days or seven days to start doing that contact tracing. So we’re going to need an army of contact tracers to help us respond in short time to somebody who has a positive diagnosis.”

More openings possible this week

Gov. Henry McMaster said the state could announce more businesses will be allowed to open by the end of the week, but that officials are waiting to see how reopening measures enacted so far have affected the spread of coronavirus, The State reported.

“We’re being very careful, and we hope to be able to announce something in maybe even before the week is out, of some future dates,” McMaster told reporters during a briefing on COVID-19 in the state. “We’re calculating, gathering information to make those decisions. We want to make them as ... soon as we can to reopen things. ... But also it must be safe.”

DHEC plans nursing home tests

Public health officials say they plan to test every resident and staff member in South Carolina nursing homes for the coronavirus by the end of the month, according to The State.

Nursing homes around the country have been particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks.

DHEC plans to send testing kits to all 194 long-term care homes in South Carolina, and skilled nursing staff at each site will conduct the tests, The State reports.

USC back on campus for fall

The University of South Carolina says it plans to have students back on campus for the fall semester, The State reports. The university moved all classes online in March because of the growing coronavirus pandemic.

The school will have a phased return for students and faculty, and “the university will implement social distancing, altered dining options, increase the number of dorm rooms in which only one person is a resident and more,” according to The State.

This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 7:11 AM.