Low case count streak continues in SC as health officials report less than 700 cases
South Carolina health officials announced Tuesday that 691 more people tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 106,574.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials also reported that 47 more people died after contracting the virus.
Since March, 2,230 South Carolinians have died.
Which counties were affected?
Spartanburg County saw the largest increase in cases Tuesday after officials reported 65 residents tested positive for the virus.
In the Midlands, 62 Richland County residents and 41 Lexington County residents tested positive.
Residents of the following counties died after contracting the virus: Aiken (3), Anderson (4), Berkeley (1), Charleston (2), Chester (1), Chesterfield (1), Darlington (3), Dorchester (1), Fairfield (1), Florence (5), Georgetown (1), Greenville (5), Greenwood (1), Horry (2), Laurens (2), Oconee (1), Orangeburg (2), Richland (8), Spartanburg (1), Sumter (1) and Williamsburg (1).
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials estimate that up to 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus don’t get tested. As of Tuesday, they estimated that 774,694 people in all have likely contracted COVID-19 since March.
DHEC has also been recording probable cases and probable deaths. A probable case is someone who has not received a 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 Tuesday, state health officials reported 15 new probable cases and 10 new probable deaths. That brings the total number of probable cases up to 1,098 and total probable deaths to 113.
DHEC officials have also said the recent slow down in testing could mean that more people with the coronavirus have gone untested and undiagnosed.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Tuesday, the state reported that 1,116 patients in South Carolina hospitals have coronavirus, including 294 of patients in intensive care and 173 of patients on ventilators.
In all, 76% of in-patient beds are occupied in S.C. hospitals, including 75% of beds in intensive care units.
The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized at one time peaked at more than 1,700 on July 23, and the state has seen small decreases in those daily numbers since. On Monday, 1,101 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms.
Some data since late July was unavailable. However, DHEC is transitioning to a new tracking system. The agency said that would give more precise information about COVID-19-related hospital conditions.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Two weeks ago, case counts per day ranged between 1,105 to 1,295. Last week, the case count only rose above 1,000 once, although health officials warn that may be because of lower rates of testing.
On Tuesday, 18.6% of tests reported turned up positive, which officials have said is high. But it does show a decline from July, when the percentage hovered around 20%.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about the current downward trend,” Dr. Brannon Traxler said in a statement to The State on Monday. “We need to also see the percent positive decrease to lower than it is.”
Nationally, about 8.7% of tests turn up positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization suggests that the percent of positive tests should be below 5% before countries consider reopening.
In all, 940,948 tests have been completed in South Carolina since March.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 3:00 PM.
