SC reports 1,600 new COVID-19 cases Saturday as autumn case surge continues
The recent surge in new COVID-19 cases continued Saturday. The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 1,617 new cases on Saturday, and nine new deaths from coronavirus-related causes.
Since the first cases of COVID-19 were identified in South Carolina in March, officials have reported 182,943 confirmed cases and 3,844 confirmed deaths.
It has been more than three weeks since DHEC has reported the percent of positive tests under 10%, a level that officials such as state epidemiologist Linda Bell have previously said indicates continued virus spread in the community.
The moving 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 to around 14%.
On Friday, there were 10,519 tests performed statewide, with 15.4% reporting positive. A total of 2,311,405 tests have now been performed in the state since March.
Officials are now recommending regular testing for anyone who is “out and about” in the community or unable to wear a facial covering and practice social distancing. The state urges residents to take advantage of free testing sites throughout South Carolina.
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 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 they have not reached July’s peaks, they are still at a rate that indicates continued disease spread.
The rate of testing, meanwhile, 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.
Which counties were affected?
The surge continues to be centered in the Upstate, where Greenville County recorded 276 new cases on Saturday, by far the largest increase in the state. Spartanburg County had the second highest case number with 168, followed by York County with 127.
But case totals in other parts of the state are rising too. Richland County had 121 new cases on Saturday, and Lexington County had 104. Horry County recorded 107 new cases, while Anderson County had 86.
Horry and York counties both reported two deaths each. All four were individuals over the age of 65. Charleston and Lexington also reported one elderly death each, while Bamberg, Dillon and Greenville each reported a death of someone between the ages of 35 and 64.
Are all cases accounted for?
Across the country, health experts have said official case counts have likely under-counted the number of cases to large degrees. At one point, South Carolina officials estimated that 86% of those infected never got tested or diagnosed, but they no longer provide those estimations.
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 Saturday, DHEC reported 86 new probable COVID-19 cases in the state, and no new probable deaths.
How are hospitals being impacted?
COVID-19 patients make up less than 9% of all hospital patients in the state, even as hospitals are reporting a slight uptick in hospitalizations, with 80% of the state’s hospital beds filled on Saturday. Twenty-three percent of COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, and 12% are on ventilators. On Saturday, South Carolina’s ICUs were at a 74% occupancy rate, and 26% of the state’s ventilators were in use.
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 14, 2020 at 11:37 AM.
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