SC reports most COVID-19 cases since late July, highest death total this month
South Carolina public health officials on Friday reported 1,777 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, the highest daily case count in more than four months, and a monthly-high 28 deaths from coronavirus complications.
It’s the third time since July that South Carolina has reported at least 1,700 cases — all three were this month — and the most confirmed cases reported in a day since July 23, when 1,870 cases were announced, according to state Department of Health and Environmental Control data.
Nearly 200,000 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since March and 4,043 have died, DHEC said.
The jump in confirmed cases Friday coincides with 14,392 tests administered, the second-highest total this month.
Testing ramped up considerably in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, with some popular testing sites processing more than 100 people per hour in recent days, DHEC said.
More than 12% of the tests reported Friday came back positive, according to public health officials.
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.
The World Health Organization earlier this year advised governments not to reopen until percent positive rates were at 5% or lower for at least 14 days.
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 Friday with 256, followed by Spartanburg (134, third in state), and Anderson (85, seventh in state).
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are still below the Upstate’s numbers, but are on the rise and closing in on July’s peak levels with York (112), Richland (100) and Lexington (72) counties reporting the fourth, fifth and ninth highest number of positive tests in the state Friday.
Other counties that reported at least 70 new cases Friday were Charleston (167), Horry (88) and Florence (84).
Since March, Richland County has had a total of 20,182 confirmed COVID-19 cases and Lexington County has reported 11,174 positive tests.
Of the 28 deaths confirmed Friday, 23 were elderly individuals (65 and older) and five were middle-aged (35-64), according to DHEC.
Four of the deaths were in Spartanburg County; three each were in Anderson and Pickens counties; two each were in Cherokee, Marlboro, Newberry, Richland and Sumter counties; and one death each was in Fairfield, Florence, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lexington, Saluda and York counties.
Overall, 282 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Richland County and 221 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 Friday, DHEC reported 38 new probable COVID-19 cases in the state, and one new probable deaths. That puts the total number of probable cases at 13,582 and total probable deaths at 303.
How are hospitals being impacted?
DHEC reported 884 people in South Carolina were hospitalized for the coronavirus Friday, down from Wednesday’s 30-day high of 944.
The numbers don’t include data from 13 of the state’s 89 hospitals, however, and the percentage of hospital inpatients being treated for COVID-19 at the 76 hospitals that did report Friday was slightly higher than the proportion reported Wednesday.
COVID-19 patients made up 10.9% of all reported inpatients in South Carolina Friday, according to DHEC. It’s the seventh straight day the percentage of coronavirus patients in state hospitals increased, data shows.
Nearly 27% of COVID-19 patients, or 236 people, are in intensive care units, and more than 13%, or 119 patients, are on ventilators.
Even with only 76 of 89 hospitals reporting Friday, the number of coronavirus patients in ICUs is at a 30-day high and the number on ventilators is at a 10-day high, according to DHEC data.
Despite the rise in COVID-19 patients, hospital bed occupancy and ICU bed occupancy remain below 75%, with 73.3% of the state’s hospital beds and 71.6% of its ICU beds occupied.
In Richland County, 70.1% of hospital beds are occupied Friday, and in Lexington County, 80% 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 166 tests per 100,000 individuals being performed daily over the past 30 days, a 20% increase from the month prior.
Overall, more than 2.6 million tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 1:39 PM with the headline "SC reports most COVID-19 cases since late July, highest death total this month."