987 new coronavirus cases in SC, breaking single day record
South Carolina state health officials announced they had identified 987 new cases of coronavirus Thursday, bringing the statewide total number of cases up to 21,533 and breaking the record for the largest single-day increase in cases.
The highest daily case count the Palmetto State had seen before Thursday was 802 on June 13.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials also announced Thursday that four people who contracted the virus had died, bringing the death toll to 621.
On Wednesday, South Carolina reached a new milestone of surpassing 20,000 cases.
State Epidemiologist Linda Bell called on South Carolinians to wear a mask in public and continue to social distance every day.
“This virus does not spread on its own,” Bell said in a statement. “It’s spread around our state by infected people who carry it wherever they go – their work, the supermarket, the post office, a friend’s house. By not following public health precautions, many are putting all at risk.
Bell added that every day people do not practice the recommended safety measures, it extends how long the virus will be affecting the state. And more and more, people who traditionally fall into groups considered low risk for serious complications or death due to the virus are being hospitalized or dying, she added.
“There is no vaccine for COVID-19. There are only individual behaviors and actions we must all maintain that help stop its spread,” Bell said.
WHICH COUNTIES WERE AFFECTED?
Greenville County saw the largest increase in cases with 169. It was followed by Charleston with 139 cases, and Horry with 128.
When it comes to deaths, Lancaster County lead with two — one elderly person and one middle aged person — while Florence and Kershaw counties each had one.
ARE ALL CASES ACCOUNTED FOR?
On Wednesday, DHEC officials began releasing the number of probable cases and deaths. A probable case is someone who has not received lab test results, but has coronavirus symptoms or a positive antibody test, according to DHEC’s definition. A probable death would be someone whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death or a contributing factor, but has not received a lab test.
As of Thursday, DHEC recorded nine probable cases and zero probable deaths.
State health officials also estimate that as much as 76% of COVID-19 patients have not been tested or identified. On Thursday, they believed that about 153,800 people likely had the virus in South Carolina since March.
HOW ARE HOSPITALS BEING IMPACTED?
As COVID-19 spreads, the number of the state’s 10,500 or so hospital beds that are filled by people with the virus increases.
Thursday, of the 7,021 occupied beds, 626 were being used by patients who were diagnosed with or suspected of having the coronavirus. That topped the record number of hospitalized coronavirus patients, which was set Wednesday when official reported 607 patients.
Hospitals across the state were at 70.6% capacity.
But some counties are fairing much worse. In Chester County, every hospital bed is occupied, though not all of them are likely to be coronavirus patients.
In Lexington County, about 84% of beds are in use, and in neighboring Richland County, that number is about 72%.
In April and May, the daily number of hospitalized patients averaged at about 411, and did not surpass 500. In ten of the last eleven days, the number of COVID-19 patients, confirmed or suspected, who were hospitalized exceeded 500.
DHEC officials have warned that an uptick in coronavirus cases may lead to an increase in hospitalizations weeks later.
HOW IS COVID-19 TRENDING IN SC?
Coronavirus activity is increasing in the Palmetto State. Last week, state health officials saw daily case counts between 434 and 802, an increase of hundreds of cases from the daily case counts in March, April and early May.
From mid-April to mid-May, health officials saw an average of about 166 cases per day. From June 7 to June 14, the state saw an average of 619 new cases per day.
DHEC officials point to the percentage of tests that are positive as an indicator of the virus’ spread in the state. During the last 28 days, that percentage has gone up.
DHEC officials announced Thursday that 14.4% of tests were positive, a number similar to what state health officials saw on days in March and early April, when cases were increasing rapidly, but officials were doing less testing.
Nine of the last ten days have seen percent of positive tests rise above 10%.
At its lowest point, the percent of positive tests fell between 2-4% on average.
WHY ARE CASE NUMBERS UP?
DHEC officials have said the increase in coronavirus cases could be due to more people leaving their homes and fewer people wearing masks and practicing social distancing. They especially voiced this concern around Memorial Day weekend, which drove crowds to entertainment and tourist areas.
Starting April 20, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has gradually reopened businesses, including restaurants, retailers, beaches and close contact businesses such as gyms and salons. The Columbia Republican pushed to open some attractions as well by Memorial Day.
The governor has also said that he does not plan to reimpose or add new restrictions on businesses or require residents to wear masks, adding that it’s South Carolinians’ individual responsibility to practice social distancing.
HOW DHEC’S TESTING PLAN IMPACTS CASE NUMBERS
DHEC officials have said their increased testing strategy could also be driving up the number of cases identified each day.
The state health agency set a goal of testing about 2% of the state’s population in June, a goal they met in May.
Since March, labs have completed 313,210 tests.
But while cases have increased dramatically, the number of daily tests has stayed relatively steady since the week of May 10, completing about 35,000 tests a week.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 4:10 PM.
