SC coronavirus numbers continue to fall as DHEC reports 704 new cases
For the fourth day in a row, South Carolina health officials on Wednesday recorded fewer than 1,000 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, announcing 704 new cases.
The seven-day rolling average of the daily case count has now fallen below 800 for the first time since mid-June. Since the global pandemic first reached South Carolina in March, there have been 107,274 recorded cases in the Palmetto State.
The state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control also reported Wednesday that 17 more people died after contracting the virus. Since March, 2,248 South Carolinians have died.
Which counties were affected?
Charleston County saw the largest increase in cases Wednesday, adding 102 to its total. It was the only county to record more than 100 cases.
In the Midlands, Richland County recorded 87 cases — second most in the state — and Lexington County logged 39 cases.
Residents of the following counties died after contracting the virus: Aiken (1), Beaufort (1), Edgefield (1), Florence (1), Georgetown (3), Greenville (2), Greenwood (1), Kershaw (1), Spartanburg (3), Sumter (1), Union (1) and Williamsburg (1). Of the 17 deaths, 14 were among elderly individuals 65 years or older, two were middle-aged between 35 and 64 years old and one was a young adult between 18 and 34 years old.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials estimate that around 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus don’t get tested. As of Wednesday, they estimated that 745,394 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 Wednesday, state health officials reported 26 new probable cases and one new probable death. That brings the total number of probable cases up to 1,137 and total probable deaths to 112.
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 Wednesday, the state reported that 1,119 patients in South Carolina hospitals have coronavirus, including 293 patients in intensive care and 164 patients on ventilators.
In all, 79.7% of in-patient beds are occupied in S.C. hospitals, including 76.9% 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.
Some data since late July was unavailable as DHEC transitioned its reporting system from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Department of Health and Human Services, as requested by the federal government. The agency said the new system will give more precise information about COVID-19-related hospital conditions.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
The number of daily new cases reported in South Carolina hit a high of 2,340 on July 18. In the month since, totals have steadily dropped. Two weeks ago, case counts ranged from just above 1,000 to more than 1,300. This week, the number of new cases has yet to crack 800, although health officials warn that may be because of lower rates of testing.
On Wednesday, 16.8% 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,” DHEC’s Dr. Brannon Traxler told The State earlier this week. “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 CDC. The World Health Organization suggests that the percent of positive tests should be below 5% before countries consider reopening.
In all, 946,826 tests have been completed in South Carolina since March, including 882,991 viral tests and 61,557 antibody tests, which do not test for an active infection but can tell a person whether they’ve been exposed to the virus before.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 1:38 PM.
