Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on July 21

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.

More than 73,000 confirmed cases

At least 73,101 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 1,147 have died, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday reported 1,870 new confirmed cases of the virus.

On Tuesday, public health officials reported 57 additional deaths from the coronavirus.

It is unclear how many people are hospitalized with COVID-19 as South Carolina has changed how it reports on hospitalizations at the request of the federal government.

Orangeburg hospital called on National Guard

The Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg requested help from the South Carolina National Guard to construct tents outside the main building to house COVID-19 patients in case of overflow, the Island Packet reported.

Work on the temporary facilities began last Wednesday, with assistance from the Guard.

Matthew Hinkle, Regional Medical Center Vice President of Operations, said the tents are not currently needed, but are “to prepare for any additional spike in COVID-19 cases that could outstrip current bed capacity.”

Orangeburg County has the seventh highest COVID-19 case rate per capita in the state, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Elections officials worry about November

State Election Commission Director Marci Andino is raising the alarm about possible problems with the November General Election from the coronavirus pandemic.

Andino wrote to the heads of the state house and senate to ask for help to prepare for the election this fall. In the letter, he asked “that immediate action be taken so election officials have as much time as possible to ensure we can rise to the greatest challenge to our election system our state has ever seen,” according to The State.

The presidential election is expected to draw high turnout for the more than 3.3 million voters in South Carolina. The elections chief said staff could have trouble getting a quick count on absentee ballots and may face a shortage of poll workers or have to consolidate polling places, The State reports. Andino also said he was worried about social distancing at polling places.

He asked lawmakers to expand absentee voting so polls don’t get crowded and people are able to vote without waiting in line or worrying about catching the virus while voting.

National Guard headed to Myrtle Beach area

Troops with the National Guard are scheduled to arrive along the Grand Strand on Wednesday to help hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients, The Sun News reports.

According to DHEC, there have been more than 7,700 cases of the coronavirus in Horry and Georgetown counties.

S.C. National Guard clinical personnel will help staff five hospitals in the two counties, according to Tidelands Health.

Poll: Many parents say it could take a year to get back to school

A new poll from Chernoff Newman, a Columbia-based marketing firm, shows many parents in South Carolina think it could take up to a year for students to safely go back to school, The State reports.

The statewide poll found that 21% said they are already comfortable sending students back, and 14% said they will be comfortable sending students back to school at the end of the summer. But 43% of parents said it could take up to a year for them to be comfortable sending students back, and 17% said it could take more than a year.

Read other results from the statewide poll on the coronavirus.

SC senator supports school reopening despite backlash

The chairman of the state Senate Education Committee is standing by comments that virtual education in South Carolina deserves a D minus grade and that schools must offer an option for in-person classes this fall, the Sun News reported.

Sen. Greg Hembree, an Horry County Republican, has received backlash from educators over his comments but isn’t backing down.

“Just because you work hard on something in good faith doesn’t mean it’s going to be successful,” he said Monday. “I don’t think there’s any real shame in that, but we have to be honest about it. We can’t just say it works when it’s not working.”

Health officials have recommended that, in areas where COVID-19 activity is high, schools should resort to virtual learning only.

$32 million for private schools

Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday said the state will give $32 million to private K-12 schools in South Carolina from federal coronavirus relief funds.

The grants are intended to help 5,000 students who otherwise couldn’t afford private school tuition, with an average of about $6,500 per student, The State reports. The funding comes from the federal CARES Act, which set aside money for governors to decide how to use for education.

The announcement comes a week after McMaster called on South Carolina’s public school systems to open in person this fall.

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 7:24 AM.