With 23 COVID-19 deaths reported Tuesday, more than 4,000 have now died in SC
More than 4,000 South Carolinians have now died as a result of COVID-19, the state’s public health agency reported Tuesday.
State health officials announced 1,374 new coronavirus cases and 23 additional deaths Tuesday, including a young adult in Richland County, bringing the state’s death toll to 4,010.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has also jumped this week, increasing to 873 Tuesday, the second straight day coronavirus hospitalizations have been at a 30-day high, according to the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control.
More than 196,000 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since testing began in March, DHEC said.
Testing has ramped up considerably in the past week, with some popular testing sites processing more than 100 people per hour in recent days, according to the agency.
DHEC reported 10,407 tests Tuesday, of which 13.2% came back positive. It’s the fourth time in the last five days that more than 10,000 people were tested.
As more South Carolinians have been tested, the rate of positive tests has decreased, but remains well above the 5% rate that many public health agencies aim for.
Percent positive rates provide an idea of how widespread coronavirus infection is in a testing area, with higher numbers indicating there are likely more people infected with COVID-19 in the community who have not been tested and who may unwittingly spread the disease to others.
DHEC urges anyone who is symptomatic or who has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 to get tested themselves, and recommends routine monthly testing for anyone who is out and about in the community, even if they are asymptomatic.
To find a testing location near you, visit DHEC’s website at scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-testing-locations.
Which counties were affected?
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Upstate continues to outpace other South Carolina regions.
Greenville County reported the most new positive tests in the state Tuesday with 218, followed by Pickens (88, fourth in the state), Spartanburg (86, fifth in the state) and Anderson (82, seventh in the state).
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are still well below the Upstate’s numbers, but are on the rise and closing in on July’s peak levels with York (141) and Richland (94) counties reporting the second and third highest number of positive tests in the state Tuesday. Lexington County, which has consistently logged around 50 daily COVID-19 cases for the past week, reported 45 positive tests Tuesday.
Richland County has had a total of 19,911 COVID-19 cases since March, while 10,991 positive tests have been reported in Lexington County.
Of the 23 deaths confirmed Tuesday, 17 were elderly individuals (65 and older), five were middle-aged (35-64) and one was a young adult (18-34).
Five of the deaths were reported in Spartanburg; four were reported in Greenville; three each were reported in Greenwood and Richland; two each were reported in Florence and Horry; and one death each was reported in Georgetown, Kershaw, Orangeburg and York counties.
The young adult’s death occurred in Richland County, according to DHEC.
Overall, 280 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Richland County and 220 have been reported in Lexington County.
Are all cases accounted for?
Across the country, health experts said official case counts have likely under-counted the number of cases to large degrees.
At one point, S.C. officials estimated that 86% of those infected never got tested or diagnosed, but they no longer provide those estimates.
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 Tuesday, DHEC reported 59 new probable COVID-19 cases in the state, and two new probable deaths. That puts the total number of probable cases at 12,900 and total probable deaths at 303.
How are hospitals being impacted?
The number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus-related symptoms continues to rise.
For the second straight day Tuesday, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in South Carolina reached a 30-day high, according to DHEC.
Health officials reported 873 inpatients hospitalized for the coronavirus Tuesday, the eighth straight day at least 800 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms. That’s roughly 100 more COVID-19 hospitalizations than South Carolina has averaged over the past 30 days, according to DHEC.
COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked at 1,723 on July 23.
With the recent spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations, more than 10% of all inpatients statewide are now being treated for the novel coronavirus, DHEC reported.
Just under one-quarter of COVID-19 patients, or 211, are in intensive care units, and another 83 are on ventilators.
Ventilated patients, which have averaged about 96 over the past month, were at their lowest level Tuesday since October, according to DHEC.
Despite the rise in COVID-19 patients, hospital bed occupancy and ICU bed occupancy remain lower the past two days than they were last week, with 75.6% of the state’s hospital beds and 72.5% of its ICU beds occupied.
In Richland County, 70.3% of hospital beds are occupied Tuesday, and in Lexington County, 84.3% of beds are full, data shows.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Several key COVID-19 metrics the state tracks to measure spread remain below the highs hit in July, but are trending up, health officials warn.
Indicators such as daily case rates by population, percentage of positive tests and hospitalizations all have risen since mid-October.
The rate of testing has increased steadily over the past month, with an average of 159 tests per 100,000 individuals being performed daily over the past 30 days, a 16% increase from the month prior.
Overall, 2,570,772 tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 1:54 PM with the headline "With 23 COVID-19 deaths reported Tuesday, more than 4,000 have now died in SC."