SC reports record coronavirus death toll, 1,497 new cases ahead of July 4th weekend
As the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches, South Carolina reported its deadliest day yet of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday.
State health officials announced 24 new confirmed deaths, bringing South Carolina’s death toll to 759 since the outbreak began in March.
The state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control also reported 1,497 new cases of COVID-19, the eighth day in a row more than 1,000 new cases have been added. That brings that state’s total to 37,809.
“With cases continuing at this level daily, 1,000 cases one day after the next and after the next, this is severely hampering our ability to conduct contact tracing for cases,” state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said in a press conference Wednesday.
Bell also warned that with this level of disease spread, DHEC’s contact tracers won’t be as effective and the burden for stopping the disease spread will fall on residents.
“We must get these escalating numbers under much better control, and to do that, each of us must make an intentional effort,” Bell said. “An unselfish decision on each of our parts is needed to protect others from this virus through wearing masks and practicing social distancing.”
With a long holiday weekend coming up, both Bell and Gov. Henry McMaster pleaded with residents to avoid large gatherings and follow health and safety protocols.
“You have the opportunity to invest in some common sense with your friends and neighbors and remind them of what it is necessary for them to do,” McMaster said, adding a warning that if case counts don’t go down, high school and college football and concerts won’t happen in the fall.
WHICH COUNTIES WERE AFFECTED?
On Wednesday, Charleston County once again led the state with the highest number of confirmed virus cases at 266.
Horry County, home to Myrtle Beach, was right behind once more with 228 confirmed cases.
In the Midlands, Richland County added 104 cases and Lexington County had 83 new ones, DHEC reported.
Charleston County also reported the most deaths Wednesday at seven — five elderly individuals, one middle-aged one and one young adult. Horry and Orangeburg counties each had three deaths, while Florence, Greenville and Laurens counties each had two.
Berkeley, Calhoun, Cherokee, Dillon, Fairfield, Lancaster, Lexington, Richland and Spartanburg counties all reported one death each.
HOW ARE HOSPITALS BEING IMPACTED?
More South Carolinians are being hospitalized as a result of COVID-19, with that figure surpassing 1,000 for the first time on Monday.
On Wednesday, DHEC reported 1,160 of the 7,815 hospital beds in use now are occupied by COVID-19 patients, another new record.
Those 7,815 occupied beds mean 73.6% of hospital beds statewide are in use. That percentage is even higher locally in Richland and Lexington counties.
Gov. McMaster said last week the state is ready to implement a hospital plan to open up more bed space should hospitals become overburdened. If that’s the case, McMaster also said he may require medical facilities to again postpone elective procedures.
ARE ALL CASES ACCOUNTED FOR?
State health officials continue to say they estimate that as many as 86% of South Carolinians who have or have had COVID-19 have gone undiagnosed or untested.
That would put the number of total cases at around 270,000.
Beyond confirmed cases, the state’s health agency also now tracks what they consider to be probable cases or probable deaths.
A probable case is a person who has not received lab test results but has virus symptoms or a positive antibody test. A probable death is a person who has not gotten a lab test but whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death or as a contributing factor.
On Wednesday, DHEC reported six new probable cases and four new probable deaths.
HOW IS COVID-19 TRENDING IN SC?
Over the last three weeks, South Carolina has seen record daily coronavirus case counts with increasing frequency — an indicator that health officials say shows the virus’ activity in the state is increasing.
On Tuesday, DHEC reported a record 1,744 cases. Last week, daily case counts ranged from 890 cases to nearly 1,600.
Earlier in June, daily case counts ranged between 577 and 1,157, and in May the state never had more than 400 cases in a single day.
The percentage of tests coming up positive, another indicator of virus activity, has also been on the rise, officials said.
DHEC reported a 19% positive rate for tests on Wednesday, compared to between just 2% and 4% at the state’s lowest point in May.
WHY ARE CASE NUMBERS UP?
Health officials have continued to stress the importance of face masks and social distancing — a lack of widespread adoption by the public could be contributing to the uptick in cases — as South Carolina businesses and restaurants continue to reopen.
Since late April, McMaster has gradually reopened businesses, including restaurants, retailers, beaches, gyms and salons, and he has said he does not plan to reimpose restrictions. At the same time, he said he will not reopen the remaining closed businesses until cases fall.
Many of the new cases have been observed in younger individuals — this week, the state’s health department reported a 966% increase in people ages 11 to 20 and 413% increase in people ages 21 to 30 testing positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks.
State leaders, including McMaster, have urged and pleaded with South Carolinians to wear face masks when in public. But while multiple cities, including Columbia, Charleston and Greenville, have implemented mask ordinances, McMaster told reporters last week it was would be “impossible” to enact one statewide.
That counters the sentiment from the state’s top epidemiologist, Dr. Linda Bell, who told reporters in June that a statewide mask requirement could help to slow the spread of COVID-19.
HOW IS DHEC’S TESTING PLAN IMPACTING CASE NUMBERS?
The state’s health agency has expanded its testing plan over time, but more testing isn’t the sole reason case numbers are rising, officials say.
“Doing testing doesn’t create new cases,” Bell said last week. “When we test, we’re finding cases that are already out there.”
COVID-19 testing was relatively steady from May 10 to June 13, when labs across the state completed about 35,000 tests a week. From June 14 to June 30, labs completed more than 130,000 tests. Statewide, labs have completed more than 380,000 tests since March.
DHEC has noted that an individual could have multiple tests, but 380,000 would represent about 7.4% of all South Carolinians. The health department plans to continue increasing testing in the coming months.
Officials said they plan to log about 140,000 tests each month in July and August and reach 165,000 tests a month by the new year.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 4:44 PM.
