DHEC reports 489 new cases of coronavirus in SC, 28 more deaths
South Carolina health officials reported fewer than 500 new coronavirus cases for the first time in a week Wednesday, with testing totals dipping as well.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control recorded 489 new cases along with 28 more deaths related to COVID-19. Since the pandemic first reached the Palmetto State in March, DHEC has recorded 131,428 confirmed positive cases of the virus and 2,968 deaths in people who tested positive.
DHEC also reported 3,635 individual test results Wednesday, putting the percentage of tests returning positive at 13.5%. That’s a decline from the state’s high points in July, when the percentage consistently topped 20%, but it is still above the 5% mark health experts, including DHEC state epidemiologist Linda Bell, have cited as a goal.
Which counties were affected?
Spartanburg County saw the largest increase in confirmed coronavirus cases Wednesday, adding 61 to its total.
In the Midlands, Richland County saw an increase of 55, second most in the state, while Lexington County added 30.
The following counties saw residents die after contracting COVID-19: Anderson (6), Berkeley (1), Chesterfield (1), Darlington (1), Florence (1), Greenville (1), Greenwood (1), Horry (1), Lee (1), Lexington (2), Marlboro (1), Newberry (2), Orangeburg (1), Richland (3), Sumter (2), Williamsburg (1) and York (2).
Of those who died, 25 were elderly, defined by DHEC as 65 years or older, while three were middle-aged, defined as between 35 and 64 years old.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
The number of daily new cases reported in South Carolina hit a high of 2,343 on July 18. In the month after, totals slowly dropped, including a stretch of 13 days in a row when case counts were under 1,000.
The 7-day moving average of new cases rose again in late August and early September, but it has since begun to dip again, and there have now been 10 days in a row of fewer than 1,000 cases and four with fewer than 750.
Ahead of the Labor Day weekend, DHEC and other health experts warned of a possible spike in cases as residents planned vacations to crowded beaches and students returned to schools. The state saw a similar increase in May after Memorial Day, going from about 100 to 300 cases per day to more than 1,000, and to a lesser extent in July after Independence Day, going from 1,600 to 1,900.
Such a spike wouldn’t show up in the data immediately, however, as patients may not develop symptoms for as many as two weeks.
State health officials have credited the recent decline in part to a significant slowdown in virus activity in areas with face mask requirements and where residents are practicing social distancing.
But they have also said lower testing totals have played a role as well. After regularly reporting more than 10,000 tests a day in July, DHEC has not recorded that many throughout August and September and bottomed out at under 3,000 tests reported in a day on multiple occasions. Officials have said there has not been a reduction in testing opportunities or capacity, but demand has slowed as “testing fatigue” sets in.
To account for lower test totals, officials have highlighted the importance of percentage of tests run that come back positive. Nationally, about 8.5% of tests have turned up positive, according to the CDC.
In South Carolina, that percentage has been higher since March, at 15.4%, DHEC officials reported. In all, 1,172,420 tests have been completed in South Carolina since March.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials estimate that around 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus don’t get tested.
DHEC has also been recording probable cases and probable deaths. A probable case is someone who has not received a lab test result 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 43 new probable cases and 10 new probable deaths. That puts the total number of probable cases at 2,694 and total probable deaths at 164.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Wednesday, the state reported 784 patients in South Carolina hospitals have the novel coronavirus, including 223 in intensive care and 136 on ventilators. The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at one time peaked at 1,723 on July 23.
In all, 79.89% of inpatient beds in S.C. hospitals are currently occupied, including 74.41% of ICU beds.
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 2:13 PM.
