New COVID-19 numbers drop after weekend jump in cases, SC health officials say
On Monday, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control confirmed 584 new COVID-19 cases and seven new confirmed deaths from the coronavirus.
The latest figures are a decline from those seen over the weekend, when 860 new cases were reported on Saturday and 716 on Sunday.
Since the first South Carolina case was reported in March, DHEC has now recorded 152,233 confirmed cases of the virus and 3,355 deaths.
It has now been nearly a month since DHEC has recorded more than 1,000 cases in a single day. South Carolina recorded its first 1,000-case day in mid-June and consistently exceeded that throughout the summer.
A total of 1,640,138 have now been performed in the state. Out of 6,424 tests performed on Sunday, 9.1% came back positive.
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 that health experts, including DHEC state epidemiologist Linda Bell, have cited as a goal.
Officials are now 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, in order to track and curb the spread of asymptomatic cases.
Which counties were affected?
Greenville County had by far the most cases reported Monday, with 92. Horry County was the second most active region, reporting 61 new cases, followed by Oconee (36), Lexington (34) and York (32). Richland County reported 29 new cases on Monday.
The deaths reported Monday were spread across Beaufort, Cherokee, Darlington, Kershaw, Lexington, Pickens and Sumter counties. All reported deaths were classified as elderly people, except the person who died in Sumter County, who was between the ages of 35 and 64.
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 Monday, health officials reported 26 new probable cases and no new probable deaths from COVID-19. That puts the total number of probable cases at 5,783 and total probable deaths at 204.
How are hospitals being impacted?
On Monday, 684 patients were hospitalized with coronavirus-related symptoms, or 9% of all patients currently in the hospital. Some have more serious conditions than others; 177 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, and 87 are on ventilators.
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.
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.
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.
Officials have said there has not been a reduction in testing 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. 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.
DHEC is projecting 4,265 new cases in the state over the next week.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 2:28 PM.
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