SC reports sixth straight day of at least 2,300 COVID cases, 42 more deaths Wednesday
South Carolina on Wednesday reported 2,424 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 42 deaths from the virus.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control has now reported more than 2,000 daily cases in 12 of the last 13 days. Prior to the recent spike in cases, South Carolina had reported 2,000 or more daily cases only three times, and never on consecutive days.
Nearly one-quarter of the 241,471 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Carolina since March have been recorded in the last 30 days, data show.
More than 600 South Carolinians have died of COVID-19 complications during that span, bringing the cumulative death toll to 4,444, according to DHEC.
The state counts another 18,648 cases, including 80 Wednesday as probable positives, and another 356 deaths, including two Wednesday, as probable COVID-19 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 where 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.
State health officials reported another 11,786 tests Wednesday, of which 20.6% were positive.
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.
Roughly 14.6% of all COVID-19 tests administered in South Carolina since March have come back positive, according to DHEC. The state’s 7-day percent positive rate briefly dipped below 5% in mid-May, but has otherwise remained well above the WHO’s guidelines for reopening.
Nearly 43,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in South Carolina this week, with additional weekly shipments to follow, according to DHEC.
State epidemiologist Linda Bell said in a statement Wednesday that she understood skepticism about the vaccine, especially among Black residents who have throughout American history been made unwitting subjects of experimental scientific research, but urged South Carolinians to trust the vaccine development process.
“We now have the ability to do our part to protect ourselves and others to end this pandemic by getting vaccinated,” she said. “When it’s my turn, I’ll be among the first waiting in line to roll up my sleeve and get vaccinated.”
Front line medical workers, residents of long-term care facilities and others who are at increased risk of contracting the virus or are at high risk of experiencing severe complications from it will be prioritized for vaccination while supplies are limited over the next several months.
In the meantime, Bell and other state health officials have advised South Carolinians to continue taking measures to mitigate spread of COVID-19.
“As we patiently wait for additional vaccines, it’s important to understand that it may take months to vaccinate enough of our population that it would allow us to change some of our current safety practices,” Bell said Wednesday. “This means we must all continue to take the small steps that make a big difference, including wearing our masks, getting tested and staying home when we’re sick, avoiding group gatherings, practicing physical distancing, and, when it’s our turn, getting vaccinated.”
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 are skyrocketing, outpacing all other South Carolina regions.
The Upstate’s 7-day average of cases is more than 1,100, three times what it was early last month and twice what it was in July when cases statewide were spiking, according to DHEC.
Greenville County, the state’s most populous county, has reported nearly twice as many cases as any other county in South Carolina over the past month.
In the Upstate Wednesday, Greenville again led all counties with 328 COVID-19 cases, followed by Spartanburg County (209, third in the state), Anderson County (164, fourth in the state) and Pickens County (153, fifth in the state), according to DHEC.
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are below the Upstate’s numbers, but also have surged in recent weeks with York (238), Lexington (148), Richland (143) and Aiken (114) counties reporting the second, sixth, seventh and eighth highest number of positive tests in the state Wednesday.
The number of positive tests in the state’s Pee Dee and Lowcountry regions are well below the Upstate and the Midlands, but also have been rising for the past month.
Horry (111) and Florence (93) reported the most cases in the PeeDee Wednesday, while Beaufort’s 65 cases were the most in the Lowcountry.
Of the 42 deaths reported for the day, 35 elderly individuals (65 and older) and seven 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.
The deaths reported Wednesday included nine Spartanburg County residents; five residents each from Greenville and Pickens counties; four residents each from Aiken, Anderson and Oconee counties; three Florence County residents; two residents each from Charleston and Cherokee counties; and a single resident each from Dorchester, Lancaster, Orangeburg and York counties.
How are schools and long-term care facilities affected?
Nearly 850 COVID-19 cases in the past week are associated with schools, according to DHEC.
State health officials, who report school-related cases twice weekly, documented 572 cases among students and 276 cases among staff this past week.
The numbers include kindergarten through 12th grade students and staff in both public and private schools, and count only individuals who attend school in person or are on campus on a regular basis.
A total of 5,661 school-related cases have been reported since Sept. 4, according to DHEC.
Another 520 COVID-19 cases and 12 coronavirus deaths in the last week are associated with long-term care facilities, data show.
Facility residents account for 298 of the cases and all of the deaths, with the remaining 222 cases affecting staff members.
As of Tuesday, 182 facilities, or about 42%, were reporting an active outbreak, which DHEC defines as at least one resident or staff member cases within the past 14 days.
Since March, South Carolina has reported nearly 13,000 cases and 1,615 deaths associated with long-term care facilities. Residents have accounted for nearly two-thirds of the cumulative cases and all but 26 of the deaths, according to DHEC.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Daily case rates have risen nearly 83% in the past month and are currently the highest they’ve ever been, with 40 people per 100,000 testing positive for the novel coronavirus over the past 30 days.
COVID-19 hospitalizations, which were not immediately reported Wednesday, had topped 1,000 statewide for the past 14 days reported. The number of COVID-19 inpatients were 36% higher Tuesday than they were one month ago, according to DHEC.
The number of people being tested across the state has shot up over the past 30 days, with an average of 209 tests per 100,000 individuals performed daily in the last month, a 42% increase from the month prior, data show.
An average of 17.5% of those tests have come back positive in the past 30 days.
Overall, nearly 3.2 million tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 2:20 PM.