Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Carolina on Oct. 24

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in South Carolina. Check back for updates.

Cases pass 161,000

At least 161,836 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina, and 3,560 have died, according to state health officials.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Saturday reported 628 new COVID-19 cases, down from more than 700 the day before.

Fourteen coronavirus-related deaths were reported Saturday.

The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests was 11% as of Friday. Health officials have said that number should be 5% or lower.

On Saturday, 743 patients in South Carolina hospitals had COVID-19, including 200 in intensive care and 97 on ventilators.

Beaufort Co.’s COVID-19 trends improve, but experts fear months ahead

As of Friday, only three coronavirus-positive patients were admitted at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. None was in the medical center’s intensive care unit.

The county’s seven-day average of positive COVID-19 tests dropped below 4% earlier this week. While it had ticked up to 6% by Thursday, that’s still far below July levels.

Daily case counts are regularly in the single digits, and the county’s two-week incidence rate, or infections per 100,000 people, has fallen into a “moderate” range. State health officials Thursday also classified the county as having a “low” level of recent disease activity.

Beaufort County was the only area listed in that category statewide.

141 new cases in K-12 schools

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday reported 141 new cases of coronavirus in South Carolina k-12 schools, marking two consecutive weeks of triple digit increases.

DHEC reports school coronavirus data twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Last Friday, 200 new cases were confirmed, followed by 148 cases on Tuesday.

The growing case counts come as more schools across the state move to reopen classrooms and return to more traditional face-to-face learning, The State reported.

There have been 1,772 positive COVID-19 tests in SC schools since the semester began, with students making up 1,242, and staff accounting for 530.

Confusion as Horry County drops mask rules

Horry County has decided to allow its mask ordinance to expire Oct. 30, despite backlash from city leaders, worried that without a county-wide rule will, confusion will reign regarding when and where masks are required.

Within the many boundaries and municipalities in Horry County, rules regarding masks change from one place to the next.

Some say the impending chaos could be avoided if Gov. Henry McMaster would implement a statewide mandate — something he has consistently refused to do since the early days of the pandemic.

“No one rule fits every situation,” McMaster said at a news conference in Myrtle Beach. Mask rules “need to be tailored to the community. They need to respond to the wishes of the citizens, in light of the data (and) what we know about the spread of this highly dangerous, too many times fatal virus.”

5 dead, 20 infected a month after shag gathering

A month has passed since the Shaggin’ On Main dance festival in North Myrtle Beach, and at least 20 attendees have tested positive for COVID-19 and 5 have died in that time, The Sun News reports.

COVID-19 was identified as the cause in three of the deaths, while an exact culprit hasn’t been named for the other two.

The shag dance festival coincided with a spike in coronavirus activity in Horry County, but through contact tracing efforts, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control believes the event is not responsible.

However, while DHEC linked less than five COVID-19 cases to the shag festival, The Sun News’ own reporting identified nearly 24 people who tested positive after attending -- though some might have been excluded from DHEC’s count if they tested positive in North Carolina, where many attendees were visiting from.

11 deaths in these three counties

Thursday, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control announced 40 deaths from COVID-19, the highest single-day death toll in six weeks. Over a quarter of those deaths occurred in just three counties.

Four died in York County, four died in Lancaster County, and three more in Chester County, according to health officials. Previously, the most deaths reported in one day across those counties was eight.

Shag ‘master’ dies due to COVID-19

Jeptha “Jeppy” McDowell, 76, a shag dancing legend in North Myrtle Beach, has died from COVID-19.

McDowell is the third death in the dancing community, coming amid a spike in coronavirus cases that may be connected to an unofficial shag dancing competition held in late September, The Sun News reported.

McDowell was a shag dancing instructor at Fat Harold’s Beach Club for 40 years, a beloved fixture in the community and considered a “shagging icon,” friend Ronnie Gregory said.

“There’s people who have different callings in life for different things,” Gregory said. “This guy had rhythm and blues in his soul. You could tell it just like you tell people who have country music in their soul. The Beach and the shag with his calling. It was obvious the way he lived his life.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 7:54 AM.