SC surpasses 50,000 coronavirus cases, state health officials say
After South Carolina was ranked as one of the world leaders for coronavirus spread last week, state health officials reported Thursday that the state surpassed 50,000 positive cases.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials announced 1,723 more people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total number of cases identified since March to 50,548.
About one in five tests reported Thursday were positive, following a trend over the last several days.
“Our neighbors, our friends, our fellow South Carolinians are now sicker than they’ve ever been due to this virus,” DHEC’s Director of Public Health Joan Duwve said Thursday.
State health officials also announced that 22 more people died after contracting COVID-19. In all, 897 people have died after catching the virus since March.
Which counties were affected?
Charleston County continued to lead the state with the largest daily increase in cases. Thursday, state health officials reported they identified 325 new cases in the coastal county.
Locally, Richland County and Lexington County saw increases of 125 cases and 66 cases respectively.
Greenville County saw the most deaths with five. It was followed by Charleston County with four.
The following counties also saw deaths: Anderson (1), Clarendon (2), Darlington (1), Dorchester (1), Edgefield (1), Hampton (1), Horry (3), Laurens (1), Richland (1), and Spartanburg (1).
What’s new?
State health officials reiterated during a call with reporters Thursday that people under 35 are responsible for most of the spread of the virus in South Carolina. The number of young adults who are diagnosed with COVID-19 has significantly increased as they spend time in group settings without social distancing or wearing a mask, Duwve said.
“Every time we don’t wear masks when we go out in public or we don’t refrain from large gatherings, we’re putting people at risk,” Duwve said. “Our individual actions can and do save lives.”
Are all cases accounted for?
DHEC officials estimate health officials have only tested about 14% of people who have contracted the coronavirus, meaning that about 86% of South Carolinians with the virus go undiagnosed. On Thursday, they estimated that a total of 361,057 residents have likely contracted the virus since March.
State health officials have also started to track what officials 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 Thursday, health officials reported one new probable case.
How are hospitals being impacted?
The number of COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized is reaching new highs each week. On Wednesday, the state saw a record after DHEC reported more than 1,400 patients in the hospital.
On June 29, state health officials reported more than 1,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients, breaking that record for the first time. Hospitals have seen more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients every day since.
As of Thursday, 1,433 of the 8,058 occupied hospital beds in the state are being used by patients with COVID-19. That means that about 18% of all beds in use are being occupied by coronavirus patients.
Duwve said 172 of those patients were on ventilators due to complications from COVID-19.
Across the state, hospitals were at an average of about 75% capacity.
Local hospitals are even more strapped for space. About 79% of Richland County hospital beds are filled, and Lexington County is using about 87% of its beds.
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.
“We’re not to the point yet of looking at alternative facilities or any kind of surge planning,” Derrec Becker, the spokesman for the S.C. Emergency Management Division, said Thursday.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
South Carolina has seen record daily coronavirus case counts since June. The surge in cases is one indicator that the virus’ activity is increasing across the state. 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.
DHEC officials also noted 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 20.6% of tests reported Thursday turned 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.
Nationally, about 8.7% of tests turn up positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why are case numbers up?
State health officials say case counts are surging because more people are leaving their homes as businesses reopen. Fewer people are practicing social distancing and wearing masks, they said.
Since April 20, the governor has gradually reopened businesses, including restaurants, retailers, beaches, gyms and salons. 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 SC ranking nationally?
Though South Carolina has not broken the top fifteen in the country for cases per capita, it has seen some of the largest increases in cases during recent weeks.
The New York Time reported Wednesday that the Palmetto State saw more cases per million residents in the last week than several countries with the worst outbreaks in the world. Only Arizona and Florida outranked South Carolina, according to the Times’ analysis.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 2:08 PM.
