SC adds low coronavirus case, test totals as DHEC reporting delay continues
For the second day in a row, South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control reported low numbers of new COVID-19 cases and tests, as the agency is still undergoing adjustments, causing a delay in many cases being reported.
DHEC reported just 229 new cases and 1,693 individual test results Thursday, some of the lowest figures the agency has recorded since May. But those test results and confirmed cases only account for those submitted to DHEC via email or fax. Electronic lab result reports remain missing for the time being, though DHEC pledged to update their data with the proper breakdown of tests and results for the days impacted in the future.
Health care providers still provide individuals with their personal test results, not DHEC.
Meanwhile, DHEC also reported 20 new deaths related the novel coronavirus Thursady and revised its initial figure of 197 new cases from Wednesday up to 350, according to the agency’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Since the global pandemic first reached South Carolina in March, DHEC has recorded 143,787 confirmed cases and 3,203 deaths.
With the limited testing totals Thursday, the percentage of tests returning positive was 13.5%. The average rate of positive tests has declined from the state’s high points in July, when it consistently topped 20%, but it is still above the 5% mark health experts, including DHEC state epidemiologist Linda Bell, have cited as a goal.
Officials have worked to increase free testing opportunities around the state and in the Columbia area and are recommending anyone who is “out and about” in the community or not able to wear a facial covering and practice social distancing be tested at least once a month.
Which counties were affected?
With Thursday’s incomplete results, Richland County reported the largest increase in new cases across the state, adding 35. Richland has seen a noticeable bump in case counts since college students first started returning to campus in late August. Neighboring Lexington County added 16 new cases, tied with Greenville County in the Upstate for second most across S.C.
The following counties saw residents die after contracting COVID-19: Anderson (3), Bamberg (1), Barnwell (1), Cherokee (1), Greenville (1), Horry (2), Lancaster (1), Lexington (1), McCormick (1), Richland (1), Spartanburg (5), Union (1) and York (1).
The individual who died in Barnwell County was a pediatric case, defined by DHEC as someone between 0 and 17 years old. Five others were middle-aged, defined as between 35 and 64 years old, and the remaining 15 were elderly, defined as 65 years old and up.
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 seven-day moving average of new cases rose again slightly in late August and early September, but it dipped again and stayed below 1,000 new cases per day for most of the month.
State health officials credited the decline in cases since July in part to a significant slowdown in virus activity in areas with face mask requirements and where residents are practicing social distancing. In particular, DHEC data has shown that the areas that implemented mask ordinances the earliest have seen the largest overall declines.
But health officials 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 did not record that many throughout August and September.
Officials have said there has not been a reduction in testing capacity, but demand has slowed as “testing fatigue” sets in. The Department of Health and Human Services deployed a federal “surge testing team” that has set up free testing sites and opportunities in the Columbia area over the next several weeks.
To account for lower test totals, officials have highlighted the importance of percentage of tests run that come back positive. The seven-day moving average of that percentage in South Carolina rose to nearly 20% in early September but has declined to under 13% in recent weeks.
Nationally, about 8.2% of tests have turned up positive, according to the CDC. In South Carolina, that percentage has been higher since March, at 14.8%. In all, 1,432,513 tests have been completed in the state since March.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials have estimated 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 Thursday, state health officials reported 38 new probable cases and three new probable death. That puts the total number of probable cases at 4,536 and total probable deaths at 197.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Thursday, the state reported 709 patients in South Carolina hospitals have the novel coronavirus, including 172 in intensive care and 91 on ventilators. The number of patients hospitalized at one time peaked at 1,723 on July 23.
In all, 81.55% of inpatient beds in S.C. hospitals are currently occupied, including 75.4% of ICU beds.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 1:53 PM.
