DHEC announces more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in SC for first time in a month
For the first time in more than a month, South Carolina has announced more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in a day, as state health officials announced 1,072 new confirmed cases Thursday.
The last time the Department of Health and Environmental Control has announced more than 1,000 cases was on Sept. 11, a gap of more than 30 days that was the longest the state had had between such days since it first crossed the 1,000-case mark in June.
Officials also revised their data Thursday to include exactly 1,000 tests reported to DHEC on Oct. 8 as well.
DHEC also announced 11 new deaths related to the novel virus Thursday. Since the first case of the novel virus in South Carolina was reported in March, DHEC has now recorded 154,869 confirmed cases of the virus and 3,400 deaths.
Officials reported 8,459 individual test results Thursday, the highest total reported so far this month, putting the percentage of positive tests at 12.7%. A total of 1,697,156 tests have now been performed in the state since March.
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?
Many of the new cases reported Thursday came from the Upstate, as Greenville County led the state with 143 new cases and Spartanburg County followed close behind with 112. No other county reported 100 or more cases.
In the Midlands, Richland County reported 73 new cases, while neighboring Lexington County had 53.
The deaths reported Wednesday occurred among individuals from Cherokee (2), Chesterfield (1), Colleton (1), Edgefield (1), Greenwood (1), Kershaw (1), Lexington (1), Marion (2) and Spartanburg (1) counties.
Three of those who died were middle aged, defined by DHEC as between 35 and 64 years old. The remaining eight were elderly, defined as 65 years or older.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials estimated in the past that around 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus didn’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 Thursday, health officials reported 95 new probable cases and three new probable deaths from COVID-19. That puts the total number of probable cases at 6,237 and total probable deaths at 207.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Thursday, DHEC reported that 762 patients were hospitalized with coronavirus-related symptoms, or 8.8% of all patients currently in the hospital. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at one time in the state peaked at 1,723 on July 23.
Some have more serious conditions than others; 204 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, and 94 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. Since then, the seven-day moving average of daily new cases declined to below 800 at one point. With Thursday’s totals, that average is now above 900.
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 has not recorded that many since then.
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 11% recently.
Nationally, about 7.7% of tests have turned up positive, according to the CDC.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 2:13 PM.
