SC has second day of more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases, DHEC reports
South Carolina health officials reported 3,047 new coronavirus cases Saturday.
The Department of Health and Environment Control also confirmed 12 new deaths.
It’s the second consecutive day that the state had over 3,000 new daily COVID-19 cases, which had not happened since the virus first hit South Carolina.
Nearly 20,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in the past week, according to DHEC.
Since March, more than 231,363 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 4,344 have died, according to DHEC.
DHEC reported 76 probable cases on Saturday. In total, there have been 17,435 probable cases and 341 probable deaths.
DHEC defines a probable case as someone who has had a positive antigen test or has virus symptoms and is at high risk for infection. Probable deaths are ones for which the death certificate lists COVID-19 as the cause of or a contributing factor to death, but the person was not tested for the virus.
More than 13,000 people were tested and 23% were positive in Saturday’s results from DHEC. That percent positive is close to a record high.
The seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate, which provides an idea of how widespread infection is in a testing area, is at its highest point since mid-July.
Elevated percent positive rates indicate there are likely more people infected with COVID-19 in the community who have not yet been tested and that testing may need to be ramped up.
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.
In wake of Friday’s record case spike, public health officials released a message urging residents to continue taking actions to mitigate spread of the virus.
“It is within all of our powers to stop COVID-19,” state epidemiologist Linda Bell said in a statement Friday. “As we each wait patiently for our turn to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, let’s keep doing our part by wearing our masks and practicing social distancing.”
State health officials have said they anticipate receiving an initial shipment of Pfizer’s vaccine, which is expected to receive emergency use authorization, between Monday and Wednesday of next week. Doses of the Moderna vaccine, which could receive Food and Drug Administration approval as early as next week, are expected to arrive in South Carolina the following week.
South Carolina is currently estimated to receive between 200,000 and 300,000 doses of vaccine by year’s end, according to DHEC.
The state’s vaccination plan, which was updated last week, prioritizes front line medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities to receive the first doses. followed by people at increased risk of contracting the virus or at high risk of experiencing severe complications from it.
Because the general public likely won’t be able to get vaccinated for a number of months, state health officials have encouraged South Carolinians to continue wearing masks, keep safe distances from others, avoid congregating indoors and limit contact with anyone outside their household.
“While the arriving vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel, it will be months before there is enough vaccine available for everyone,” Brannon Traxler, DHEC interim public health director, said in a statement. “It is incumbent upon all of us to continue to take actions aimed at saving lives.”
Among the things health officials encourage residents to do is get tested for COVID-19, and stay home when sick or following an exposure to the virus.
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?
COVID-19 cases in the Upstate continue to surge and outpaced the rest of the state on Saturday.
Greenville County, the state’s most populous county, has reported more than twice as many cases as any other county in South Carolina over the past four weeks.
Greenville again led all counties with 510 COVID-19 cases followed by Spartanburg County (217, second in the state), according to DHEC. Pickens County had 183 and Anderson County had 85.
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are below the Upstate’s numbers, but also have surged in recent weeks with Richland having 235 news cases and Lexington 149. York had 158 new cases.
Beaufort and Charleston reported 75 and 112 confirmed cases, respectively, the highest in the Lowcountry.
Florence (115), Horry (147) and Sumter (83) reported the most cases in the PeeDee.
Of the 12 deaths reported Satuday, nine were elderly individuals (65 and older), and three were middle-aged (35-64), according to DHEC.
South Carolinians of all ages have died after contracting COVID-19, but the disease has taken the greatest toll on elderly residents.
The average age of all South Carolinians who have died from coronavirus complications is 75, and the vast majority of those who died — 87% — were over 60, data show.
How are hospitals being impacted?
Hospitalizations for the coronavirus, which are up nearly 60% from a month ago, continued to climb Saturday and have now hit three-month highs in each of the past four days, according to DHEC.
The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide, which has been gradually climbing for the past month, reached 1,250 Saturday, the most since COVID-19 patients occupied 1,246 hospital beds on Aug. 15.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 peaked at 1,723 on July 23, according to DHEC.
Coronavirus patients made up more than 13.6% of all reported inpatients in South Carolina Saturday, data show.
Nearly 23.5% of COVID-19 patients, or 294 people, are in intensive care units, and nearly 10%, or 122 patients, are on ventilators.
In total, 81.5% of the state’s hospital beds and 79.7% of its ICU beds occupied.
In Richland County, 74.3% of hospital beds are occupied Thursday, and in Lexington County, 94.5% of beds are full, data show.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Daily case rates have risen more than 83% in the past month and are currently the highest they’ve ever been, with 37 people per 100,000 testing positive for the novel coronavirus over the past 30 days.
COVID-19 hospitalizations, which have topped 1,000 statewide for the past 10 days reported, are about 37% higher Saturday than they’ve been on average over the past month, according to DHEC.
The number of people being tested across the state has shot up over the past month, with an average of 197 tests per 100,000 individuals performed daily in the last 30 days, a 38% increase from the month prior, data show.
An average of 16.5% of those tests have come back positive in the past 30 days.
Overall, more than 3 million tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 11:30 AM.