Nearly 400 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in South Carolina, health officials say
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Carolina surpassed 14,000 on Sunday.
State health officials reported 390 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the state’s overall total of infections to 14,286.
Of the new cases, 31 were from Richland County, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Lexington County had 29 new cases Sunday.
Richland County has 1,779 reported cases, second in the state to Greenville’s 2,117. There have been 865 positive tests recorded in Lexington County since testing began in March, health officials said.
Officials also announced one new death related to COVID-19, bringing the state’s death toll to 546. DHEC said the person who died was an elderly person from Darlington County.
Sunday’s total shows cases are on the rise in the state. This week, South Carolina had four with more than 300 cases announced and two with more than 400.
The record for positive COVID-19 tests in a single day was set Saturday, when 512 new cases were confirmed by DHEC. In the past week, DHEC has confirmed 2,527 new cases of the coronavirus in South Carolina — an average of 361 new cases per day.
State health officials project 1,686 new cases of the coronavirus for this week.
The percentage of positive tests were 8.7%. When the percent positive is low, it can indicate that more widespread testing is being performed and the percent positive may more accurately reflect how much disease is present in the community.
Of the 6,927 inpatient beds currently used, 477 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19. Another 3,472 inpatient hospital beds are available, according to DHEC.
Officials have acknowledged an increase in COVID-19 activity in the Palmetto State over the past few weeks. Every day this week more than 200 new cases have been identified, the seven-day average of new cases is on the rise and the percentage of tests turning up positive has been trending upward, according to DHEC data.
In the past week, hundreds have also gathered in close proximity during protests against racism and police brutality. Health experts have said such protests, where social distancing is often impossible to maintain, may lead to more cases as well.
Despite the increase in new cases, South Carolina’s steady reopening continues. Columbia looks set to allow its nightly curfew to expire on Tuesday. The curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. was put in place in April as a means of encouraging social distancing, and it has kept businesses from operating late into the night within the city limits.
As of Sunday afternoon, 6,935,047 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 400,290 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 1,920,061 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S., 109,811 deaths have been reported, including 30,280 in New York City.
This story was originally published June 7, 2020 at 1:47 PM.
