First child dies of COVID-19 as SC hits record high of new cases, DHEC says

The first child has died of the coronavirus, according to the Department of Health and Environment Control.

The Chester County child was under the age of five, state health officials announced on Saturday.

With the death, officials announced a new record of daily cases of the virus with 2,239 more people diagnosed with the disease. That’s more than 350 cases higher than the last high of 1,885.

DHEC also announced Saturday that 17 other people died from the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 940 people.

The state also reached a new record for the percentage of positive tests, health officials said.

Since March, 54,538 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 in the Palmetto State.

Which counties were affected?

Charleston County saw the largest increase in cases with 317. It was followed by Greenville County with 279.

In Richland County, officials identified 144 new cases, and in Lexington County, they found 81.

Of the 18 deaths, 11 occurred in elderly individuals from Aiken (1), Charleston (5), Dillon (1), Horry (2), Lexington (1), and Richland (1) counties. Five of the deaths occurred in middle-aged individuals from Horry (2), Lexington (1), Orangeburg (1), and Sumter (1) counties. One death occurred in a young adult from Horry (1), and one death Chester county with the child.

What’s new?

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order late Friday morning that requires all bars and restaurants to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. The order takes effect Saturday.

The order is McMaster’s latest attempt at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, which has become very prevalent among South Carolinians under the age of 35.

The governor also reiterated that he would not put a statewide mask requirement in place.

“I cannot enforce, the state authorities cannot enforce a statewide mandate for masks on five million people,” McMaster said, without elaborating on why he sees a mask rule as unenforceable.

Are all cases accounted for?

About 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus go undiagnosed, DHEC officials estimate. On Saturday, that means a total of 389,557 people have likely contracted COVID-19 since March.

State health officials have also started to track what officials consider 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 Saturday, health officials reported seven new probable cases and four probable deaths.

How are hospitals being impacted?

Health officials have reported record highs of hospitalized coronavirus patients week after week. On Saturday, 1,396 people were hospitalized with the virus, which is about 40 less people than Friday.

South Carolina surpassed 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients for the first time on June 29. Hospitals have seen more than 1,000 coronavirus patients every day since.

As of Saturday, 171 of the coronavirus patients are on ventilators.

Across the state, hospitals were at an average of about 76% capacity.

Local hospitals are above that average. In Richland County, almost 79% of beds are being used, and in Lexington County, 78% of beds are occupied, according to DHEC.

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. On Thursday, officials with the S.C. Emergency Management Division said the state had not reached that point.

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 a record 22.2% of tests reported Saturday were 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.

Younger South Carolinians are increasingly being affected by the virus.

“Since June 1, there has been a 436.5% increase in newly reported COVID-19 cases among the 21-30 age group, representing 22% of total confirmed cases in the state, which is the largest percentage by age group,” DHEC said.

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 Times 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.

A Harvard study of counties’ coronavirus risk level ranked the Palmetto State as the highest risk level and gave 16 counties in the state the same designation.

This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 1:11 PM with the headline "First child dies of COVID-19 as SC hits record high of new cases, DHEC says."