SC adds nearly 1,000 new coronavirus cases as percentage of positive tests rises
South Carolina health officials announced nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, with the rate of positive tests continuing a month-long climb.
Officials from the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 987 new cases Wednesday, marking the fourth time in six days that South Carolina has had more than 900 new cases per day. Officials also recorded 13 more confirmed deaths related to the virus.
Since the first cases of COVID-19 were identified in South Carolina in March, officials have reported 178,524 confirmed cases and 3,809 confirmed deaths.
DHEC officials recorded 6,074 individual test results Wednesday, putting the percentage of positive tests at 16.2%, the second highest figure in the past month. It has been more than three weeks since DHEC has reported a percentage positive under 10%, a level that officials such as state epidemiologist Linda Bell have previously said indicates continued disease spread in the community.
The average rate of positive tests topped 20% in parts of July and declined to below 9% in late September, never reaching the 5% mark that health experts have cited as a goal for safely reopening.
Since the start of October, that average percentage has steadily started to increase again, reaching more than 14% this week, the highest it has been since mid-September.
A total of 2,225,627 tests have now been performed in the state since March. 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 regularly and are urging residents to take advantage of free testing sites throughout the state. They’ve also expanded types of testing to include shallow nasal swabs, oral swabs or saliva testing at different locations.
Which counties were affected?
Greenville County, which has seen a surge in new cases over the past few weeks, one more led the state with 156 new cases Wednesday.
In the Midlands, Richland County had the second most new cases in the state with 109, while neighboring Lexington County added 63.
The deaths reported Wednesday occurred among individuals from Charleston (1), Laurens (1), Newberry (1), Richland (3), Spartanburg (2), Sumter (1) and York (4).
All of the individuals whose deaths were reported Wednesday were elderly, defined by DHEC as 65 years old and up.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
In recent weeks, parts of the country have hit a “third wave” of infections higher than the peaks seen in the spring and summer, leading to rising national numbers regularly surpassing 100,000 new cases per day.
South Carolina, however, has 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.
Despite not reaching those highs, though, S.C. officials have warned that the state is seeing rises in key metrics, especially in the Upstate. Indicators such as daily case rates by population, percentage of positive tests and hospitalizations have all risen since the start of September.
And while the rate of infection has risen, the rate of testing has declined from the highs reported in the middle of the summer, when DHEC was recording more than 10,000 tests per day, and plateaued throughout the fall.
Officials have said there has not been a reduction in testing capacity but in demand as “testing fatigue” sets in, and they’ve urged residents to get tested more regularly to hit testing goals.
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 to large degrees.
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 Wednesday, health officials reported 111 new probable cases and one new probable death from COVID-19. That puts the total number of probable cases at 10,471 and total probable deaths at 267.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Wednesday, DHEC reported that 780 patients were hospitalized with coronavirus-related symptoms, or 8.86% 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; 198 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 November 11, 2020 at 11:45 AM.
