‘Wear a mask,’ DHEC official pleads with SC residents as coronavirus cases soar
As coronavirus cases spike to new heights across South Carolina, one of the state’s top public health officials has issued a rare public statement pleading with residents to follow health and safety recommendations.
Linda Bell, state epidemiologist for the Department of Health and Environmental Control, warned that “every day that we don’t all do our part, we are extending the duration” of the COVID-19 virus, which has infected more than 21,500 Palmetto State residents.
Specifically, Bell said, everyone should wear a mask in public and practice physical and social distancing.
Bell, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and other public officials have recommended those steps in the past, and they’ve also expressed disappointment and concern at seeing many people not following them.
But Bell’s statement Thursday, issued at the same time as the state announced a record 987 new COVID-19 cases from the past day, is one of the most forceful yet from a DHEC official about the steps needed to curb the spread of the virus.
“Every one of us has a role to play in stopping COVID-19. This virus does not spread on its own. 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 warned.
Still, South Carolina and McMaster have not joined many other states in requiring facial coverings to be worn in public, with McMaster saying individual responsibility, not government mandates, is the answer.
However, a survey from YouGov indicated that South Carolinians are less likely to adopt face masks than many other states. The Columbia City Council is currently considering an ordinance that would make masks mandatory in many circumstances for everyone over 10 years old.
COVID-19 hospitalizations, the percentage of tests turning up positive and the total number of daily cases have all increased across South Carolina over the past few weeks. In the week of June 7-13, 4,558 confirmed cases were reported, a record and nearly double the week before.
According to the most recent data provided by DHEC on Tuesday, the average age of reported cases is 44.5 years old, with 17% of cases among those 21 to 30 years old and 13% younger than that. Of the 621 reported deaths, 1.2% have occurred in individuals 40 years old or younger.
Bell referenced that data in her statement, warning that no demographic is completely safe from the virus.
“Healthy people may feel they are resistant to the virus, may feel that even if they contract it, they’ll have mild symptoms and feel better in a few days,” Bell said. “This may be true for some — but it’s also true that we are seeing hospitalizations and deaths in those who were previously healthy and in almost every age group.”
Full text of Linda Bell’s statement
“Every one of us has a role to play in stopping COVID-19. This virus does not spread on its own. 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.
It is essential that each of us, every day, wear a mask in public and stay physically distanced from others.
We understand that what we’re continuing to ask of everyone is not easy and that many are tired of hearing the same warnings and of taking the same daily precautions, but this virus does not take a day off. Every day that we don’t all do our part, we are extending the duration of illnesses, missed work, hospitalizations and deaths in our state.
There is no vaccine for COVID-19. There are only individual behaviors and actions we must all maintain that help stop its spread.
Healthy people may feel they are resistant to the virus, may feel that even if they contract it, they’ll have mild symptoms and feel better in a few days. This may be true for some – but it’s also true that we are seeing hospitalizations and deaths in those who were previously healthy and in almost every age group.
Historically, South Carolinians have willingly made sacrifices for the benefit of all. Stopping the spread of this disease will not be easy. However, I am confident in our willingness to take the current actions necessary of wearing face masks and social distancing in order to care for each other. Together we can meet this challenge.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 5:16 PM.
