DHEC reports more than 900 new coronavirus cases in SC
South Carolina added 918 confirmed COVID-19 cases to its total Thursday, as state health officials continue to report a rate of positive tests they say shows virus spread in the community.
Officials with the Department of Health and Environmental Control also reported 13 more confirmed deaths related to the virus Thursday. Since the first cases of the coronavirus were identified in South Carolina in March, officials have reported 166,344 cases and 3,645 deaths.
DHEC also reported 6,945 individual test results Thursday, putting the percentage of positive tests at 13.2%. A total of 1,959,926 tests have now been performed in the state since March.
The average rate of positive tests topped 20% in parts of July and has declined since, but it is still well above the 5% mark that health experts, including DHEC state epidemiologist Linda Bell, have cited as a goal. Over the past 30 days, the average has stayed relatively steady at around 11%.
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 led the state in new cases Thursday with 130, the only county with more than 100. Since March, Greenville County has recorded more than 17,000 cases of the virus.
In the Midlands, Richland County reported 69 new cases Thursday, while neighboring Lexington County had 48.
The deaths reported Thursday occurred among individuals from Beaufort (1), Charleston (1), Georgetown (1), Greenville (2), Horry (2), Pickens (1), Richland (1), Spartanburg (3) and Union (1).
DHEC reported that one of the individuals who died in Spartanburg County was middle-aged, defined as being between 35 and 64 years old. The remaining 12 were elderly, defined by DHEC as 65 years or older.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
While parts of the country have hit a “third wave” of infections higher than the peaks seen in the spring and summer, South Carolina has thus far not seen several of its key metrics hit the highs reached in July — the number of daily new cases reported hit a peak of 2,343 on July 18, the seven-day moving average of the percentage of positive tests topped out at 21.2% on July 14 and the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients reached 1,723 on July 23.
As of Thursday, both the moving average number of daily new cases and the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized has stayed below 1,000, while the percentage of positive tests have generally averaged between 10% and 14% for all of October.
However, the rate of new cases and hospitalizations have both increased over the past month. The rate of testing, meanwhile, has inched only slightly upwards as of late and has declined from its highs in the middle of the summer, when DHEC was reporting more than 10,000 tests per day.
Officials have said there has not been a reduction in testing capacity, but demand has slowed as “testing fatigue” sets in.
Are all cases accounted for?
State health officials at one point estimated that around 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus didn’t get tested. Across the country, health 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 60 new probable cases and two new probable deaths from COVID-19. That puts the total number of probable cases at 8,247 and total probable deaths at 244.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Thursday, DHEC reported that 800 patients were hospitalized with coronavirus-related symptoms, or 9.29% 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; 202 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, and 97 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.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 1:40 PM.
