DHEC reports backlog of nearly 24,000 coronavirus test results in SC
South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control reported a backlog of nearly 24,000 COVID-19 tests to its database Friday, impacting case counts dating back more than a week.
DHEC first announced it was reporting incomplete testing totals, counting only those results submitted via email or fax, on Wednesday as it made improvements to its internal database. On Friday, the agency said it had finished adding 23,902 test results from electronic lab reports, with the delay affecting dates as far back as Sept. 24.
Of the newly added tests, 22,423 were negative and 1,479 were positive. After they were distributed by the date they were first sent to DHEC, the agency still hasn’t recorded a day with more than 1,000 new confirmed cases since Sept. 17.
The delay in reporting did not affect how quickly patients were informed of their test results, DHEC said — health care providers still provided individuals with their personal test results.
Friday’s case count and testing totals were still impacted by the delay, though, health officials said, with normal reporting set to resume Saturday.
With incomplete results Friday, South Carolina added just 256 new cases and 1,670 individual test results, some of the lowest figures DHEC has reported since May. S.C. also had 12 more deaths related to the novel coronavirus.
Since the global pandemic first reached South Carolina in March, DHEC has recorded 144,366 confirmed cases and 3,211 deaths.
With the limited testing totals Friday, the percentage of tests returning positive was 15.3%. 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 well 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 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 Friday’s incomplete results, Richland County reported the largest increase in new cases across the state, adding 43. Richland has seen a noticeable bump in case counts since college students first started returning to campus in late August. Neighboring Lexington County added 23 new cases, second most across S.C.
The following counties saw residents die after contracting COVID-19: Charleston (1), Greenville (1), Lexington (5), Marion (1), Orangeburg (1) and Richland (3)
One of the individuals who died in Richland County was middle-aged, defined as between 35 and 64 years old, with the rest all being 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 in mid-September.
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 12% 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 14.7%. In all, 1,456,415 tests have been completed in the state since March.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials have estimated in the past that around 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus don’t get tested. While a people can and have been tested multiple times, South Carolina’s testing total equates to roughly 1 test per every 3.5 residents.
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 Friday, state health officials reported 67 new probable cases and one new probable death. That puts the total number of probable cases at 4,819 and total probable deaths at 198.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Friday, the state reported 679 patients in South Carolina hospitals have the novel coronavirus, the fewest DHEC has counted since mid-June, including 160 in intensive care and 95 on ventilators. The number of patients hospitalized at one time peaked at 1,723 on July 23.
In all, 81.72% of inpatient beds in S.C. hospitals are currently occupied, including 73.23% of ICU beds.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 3:45 PM.
