More than 700 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in South Carolina on Sunday
More than 700 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in South Carolina on Sunday as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
In addition to 716 new positive tests, health officials reported two more coronavirus-related deaths.
That brings the total of number of confirmed cases in South Carolina to 151,649 and confirmed deaths to 3,348 since testing began in March, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The new data is based on 6,984 tests, making the percent positive 10.3%, according to DHEC.
Which counties were affected?
Greenville County reported the largest increase Sunday with 98 new cases, health officials said. Spartanburg County had the second most with 91, followed by Horry County’s 80 new cases.
In the Midlands, Richland County added 27 new cases, while neighboring Lexington County added nearly twice as many with 42 positive tests, according to DHEC.
Since testing began, 16,128 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Richland County and 8,078 more in Lexington County, data show.
Both of the deaths involved people classified as elderly (65 and older) by DHEC, with one reported in Richland County and the other in Hampton County.
That raises the COVID-19 death toll in Richland County to 240, third most in South Carolina, while 176 deaths have been confirmed in Lexington County.
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.
The seven-day moving average of new cases rose again slightly in late August and early September, but it has dipped again and stayed relatively flat since then at around 750 to 800.
DHEC is projecting 4,265 new cases in the state over the next seven days.
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 showed that the areas that implemented mask ordinances the earliest have seen the largest overall declines.
But health officials have 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.
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 15% recently.
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 14.5%. In all, 1,626,378 tests have been completed in the state since March.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials estimated in the past that around 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus don’t get tested, and global experts have said official case counts have likely under-counted the number of cases.
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 Sunday, state health officials reported 25 new probable cases and no new probable deaths. That puts the total number of probable cases at 5,757 and total probable deaths at 204, according to DHEC.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Sunday, the state reported 685 patients in South Carolina hospitals have the novel coronavirus, including 176 in intensive care and 87 on ventilators. The number of patients hospitalized at one time peaked at 1,723 on July 23.
In all, 78.82% of the 9,943 available inpatient beds in S.C. hospitals are currently occupied, including 73.76% of 1,456 ICU beds.
Health officials said COVID-19 can cause mild to severe illness. Older adults and people who have serious underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and/or chronic lung diseases, are at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, according to DHEC.
This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 11:28 AM.
