Richland is the first county to surpass 1000 cases of coronavirus
Richland County reached a grim milestone.
It’s the first county to surpass a thousand reported cases of the coronavirus, according to the Department of Health and Environment Control.
As of Wednesday evening, Richland County has 1,016 known COVID-19 cases, making it the county with the most cases, a rank held since late March. At least 49 people have died from the coronavirus in the county, the highest number of deaths of all the counties.
DHEC estimates that there’s another 6,229 untested cases of the virus in Richland County.
Richland has more coronavirus cases and deaths than Greenville County, South Carolina’s most populated county with about 100,000 more people than Richland, DHEC’s statistics show. Greenville County has 802 known cases with 42 deaths, placing it just behind Richland.
The areas of Richland County with the most cases are northeast Columbia, north Columbia and the Irmo, St. Andrews area, which extends into Lexington County, according to DHEC data that tracks cases by zip codes.
The coronavirus is disproportionately affecting black people across the United States and in South Carolina. Richland County has a higher black population than Greenville or other counties which trail Richland in cases of the coronavirus. In April, two state lawmakers called for more information from DHEC to determine how South Carolina’s black population is being affected by the disease.