SC surpasses 9,000 coronavirus cases, nears 400 deaths, DHEC says
The number of people in South Carolina who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus surpassed 9,000 Tuesday as state Department of Health and Environmental Control officials identified 137 new cases.
The statewide death toll also approached 400 after they announced that eight additional people died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 399.
Greenville County saw the largest increase in deaths after four elderly patients were reported deceased. Dillon and Lexington counties each saw one elderly individual die. Cherokee and Horry counties each saw one middle aged person die.
Greenville County also saw the largest increase in cases, with 31.
Locally, Richland County had 12 new cases announced, and Lexington County had seven.
The confirmed cases give what is likely a narrow look into the reality of the coronavirus and how the infection is spreading across the state.
DHEC officials estimate that tens of thousands of people who have contracted the coronavirus in South Carolina have not been tested. As of Tuesday, they estimated that the total number of people who likely have had the virus in the Palmetto State is about 64,700.
By the end of the month, state health officials expect to see a total of 10,890 COVID-19 cases.
While the state’s coronavirus curve is flattening, a second wave of cases as businesses reopen is possible.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has lifted restrictions on retailers, beaches, boating, short-term rentals and restaurants. On Monday, close-contact businesses including hair salons, tattoo parlors, nail salons, gyms and pools were allowed to reopen.
To keep the state safe as the economy reopens, officials need to increase contact tracing staff and expand testing, experts say.
DHEC has implemented a plan to increase testing with a goal of reaching about 2% of the state’s population in May and June each. As of Monday, labs have conducted about 60,000 of the 110,000 tests DHEC hopes to finish during the month of May.
As of Monday, labs have finished a total of 135,063 tests since the state started reporting positive tests in early March.
On the contact tracing side, DHEC has bulked their staff up from 20 contact tracers to 380. They also contracted with private companies to hire 1,400 more.
Hospitals across the state also have been impacted by the coronavirus. About 68% of hospital beds in the state are currently occupied. Of those beds, 444 are being used by patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who are suspected to have it.
On Tuesday, DHEC officials also estimated that about 85% of those infected have recovered.
State health officials and McMaster continue to recommend residents practice social distancing as businesses reopen. Both McMaster and state epidemiologist Linda Bell have expressed concerns about residents not following those recommendations.
New coronavirus cases
Abbeville (1)
Aiken (1)
Anderson (6)
Bamberg (1)
Barnwell (2)
Beaufort (5)
Berkeley (1)
Charleston (8)
Cherokee (1)
Chesterfield (3)
Clarendon (3)
Darlington (8)
Dillon (1)
Dorchester (1)
Fairfield (6)
Florence (6)
Greenville (31)
Greenwood (1)
Horry (7)
Kershaw (1)
Lee (4)
Lexington (7)
Marion (1)
Marlboro (1)
Newberry (1)
Orangeburg (2)
Pickens (1)
Richland (12)
Spartanburg (4)
Sumter (2)
Williamsburg (3)
York (5)
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 4:04 PM.
