SC sees more than 1,500 new coronavirus cases Monday, health officials say
South Carolina continued its streak of high case counts Monday, when state health officials reported they had identified 1,505 new coronavirus cases.
That brings the total number of cases identified in the Palmetto State since March up to 46,247.
Six more people died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the death toll in South Carolina to 819, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Which counties were affected?
Charleston County saw the largest increase in identified cases with 326, according to state health officials. It was followed by Horry County with 189.
Locally, Richland County saw 84 newly identified cases, and Lexington County saw 61.
Of the patients who died, five were elderly. Two were from Dillon County, and the rest lived in Beaufort, Chesterfield and Darlington counties.
A middle-aged person from Horry County also died.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials estimated that as many as 86% of South Carolinians with the coronavirus go undiagnosed or untested, meaning they are not included in the counts released each day. On Monday, they estimated a total of 330,336 people have likely contracted the virus since March.
DHEC officials have also started to track what they consider to be probable cases or probable deaths.
A probable case is someone who has not received lab test results but has virus symptoms or a positive antibody test. A probable death is someone who has not gotten a lab test but whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death or a contributing factor.
On Monday, officials reported one new probable death.
How are hospitals being impacted?
The number of coronavirus patients who are hospitalized has skyrocketed in the last few weeks. Last week, state health officials recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus patients occupying beds, breaking a record.
As of Monday, the state reached a new record: 1,260 of the 7,377 occupied hospital beds in the state are being used by patients with the coronavirus.
Statewide, hospitals are at 69% capacity.
In Richland County, the percentage of beds in use has decreased from recent weeks, falling below the statewide average. Across the county, 67% of beds are in use.
But neighboring Lexington County is not faring as well, with 78% of hospital beds occupied.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has said the state is ready to implement a plan to create new bed space if hospitals become overburdened. He added he may require medical facilities to postpone elective procedures again.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
South Carolina has seen record daily coronavirus case counts each day for the last month, one indicator that the virus’ activity is increasing.
Last week, daily case counts ranged from 1,319 to a record 1,885 cases. The week before, they fell between 890 and 1,599.
State health officials also reported that the percentage of tests that turn up positive — another indicator of the coronavirus’ spread — has been rising over the last 28 days.
Officials reported that 18.8% of tests reported Mondayturned out positive. That number is higher than what health officials saw in March and early April. In May, at its lowest point, the percentage of positive tests fell between 2% and 4% on average.
Why are case numbers up?
DHEC officials say case counts are surging because more people are leaving their homes and fewer are practicing social distancing and wearing masks.
Since April 20, the governor has gradually reopened businesses, including restaurants, retailers, beaches, gyms and salons. Last month, McMaster announced the start of a new program that offers restaurant decals to show they are following precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DHEC.
But McMaster has repeatedly said he would not consider closing businesses again or requiring South Carolinians to wear masks in response to the coronavirus case explosion.
In contrast to McMaster’s statements, state epidemiologist Linda Bell has said a statewide mask requirement could help to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Local officials have taken their own steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including in Columbia where masks are now required.
How is DHEC’s testing plan impacting case numbers?
Health officials have said the expansion of testing could be driving up the numbers. But it’s not the sole reason, they added.
COVID-19 testing has been 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 20, labs completed about 44,300 tests.
Statewide, labs have completed a total of 482,722 tests since March.
If DHEC only counted one test per person, 500,000 tests would represent about 9.7% of South Carolinians.
State health officials plan to increase their testing in the coming months. Health officials plan to complete about 140,000 tests each month in July and August and reach 165,000 tests a month by the end of the year.
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 2:41 PM.
