SC coronavirus cases soaring as health officials report almost 800 new cases
Coronavirus cases continued to climb in South Carolina on Sunday.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 799 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the state’s overall total of infections to 18,795. The 799 are the second most in one day, behind Saturday’s 802 cases. DHEC originally announced 770 cases Saturday but revised it to 802.
Officials also announced one new deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the state’s death toll to 600. The death occurred in a middle-aged individual from Jasper County.
There were 69 new cases reported in Richland County and 49 in Lexington County on Sunday. Greenville, which leads the state in positive tests, had 140 more on Sunday and 2,920 overall. Richland has the second-most positive cases with 2,215.
There have been more than 400 new cases reported in each of the last seven days, a concerning trend to state health officials. Of the 18,795 cases, 6,944 have come in the past 14 days. All 10 of the state’s top single-day totals have occurred since May 29.
SC Health officials estimate there will be 2,900 new cases this week and more than 3,200 are expected the following week from June 21-27.
The total number of individuals tested yesterday statewide was 5,875 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 13.6%. It was the sixth straight day that more than 10 percent of the people were tested came back positive.
Of the 7,023 inpatient beds currently used, 521 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
State epidemiologist Linda Bell expressed alarm over South Carolina’s rapidly increasing coronavirus activity during a press conference Wednesday in which she urged people to take precautionary measures to help slow the spread of the disease.
“I have to say that today, I am more concerned about COVID-19 in South Carolina than I ever have been before,” Bell said.
Businesses, including restaurants, salons, retail stores and tourist attractions, have also been gradually reopening in S.C. since April 20, when Gov. Henry McMaster began lifting restrictions. On Friday, McMaster allowed bowling alleys to re-open and lifted occupancy restrictions on retail businesses that limited places to five people per 1,000 square feet or 20% of posted occupancy, which ever was less.
McMaster has said that despite the rise in cases, he does not plan to reimplement any of those restrictions, instead saying that South Carolinians must use individual responsibility to practice social distancing.
As of Sunday afternoon, 7,810,630 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 430,550 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 2,074,526 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S., 1115,436 deaths have been reported, including 30,795 in New York City.
This story was originally published June 14, 2020 at 3:07 PM.