DHEC: SC has almost 3,000 more coronavirus cases and positive percent that’s too high
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced 2,919 new COVID-19 cases and 16 more deaths from the coronavirus on Saturday.
DHEC has now reported more than 2,000 new cases for fifteen days this month. Some of those days, the state had 3,000 or more new cases.
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 250,386 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Carolina since March have been recorded in the last 30 days.
South Carolina had 79 new probable COVID-19 cases and seven new probable deaths from the virus on Saturday. In total, the state has had 20,151 probable cases and 366 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.
State health officials reported on Saturday that 12,767 people were tested, of which 22.9% were positive.
The state’s 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 14.8% 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.
As of Friday, more than 7,000 front-line medical workers already have been vaccinated, the agency said.
Residents and staff of long-term care facilities should begin receiving vaccinations in the next couple weeks, 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 over the next several months.
In the meantime, state health officials have advised South Carolinians to continue taking measures to mitigate spread of COVID-19 such as wearing masks, avoiding group gatherings and practicing physical distancing.
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.
How are hospitals being impacted?
DHEC reported 1,461 people hospitalized with COVID-19 Saturday, 311 of whom are in intensive care units and 148 of whom are on ventilators.
There are 44% more COVID-19 patients in ICUs and about 35% more ventilated coronavirus patients than there were a month ago, data show.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 peaked at 1,723 on July 23.
Total hospital bed occupancy and ICU bed occupancy have remained around 80% as the number of COVID-19 patients has increased, with 81.4% of the state’s hospital beds and 80% of its ICU beds occupied Saturday.
In Richland County, 73.4% of hospital beds are occupied and in Lexington County, 92.4% of beds are full, data show.
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, nearly 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 twice as many cases as any other county in South Carolina over the past month.
In the Upstate Saturday, Greenville again led all counties with 546 COVID-19 cases. Spartanburg County had 150 new cases, Anderson County 166 and Pickens County 125, according to DHEC.
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are below the Upstate’s numbers, but also have surged in recent weeks, according to DHEC data. Richland County reported 146 new cases and Lexington County 191 new cases. York County had 216 new cases
The number of positive tests in the state’s Pee Dee and Lowcountry regions are well below the Upstate and the Midlands, but have risen significantly in the past month.
Florence (102) and Horry (144) reported the most cases in the PeeDee Saturday, while Charleston (103) and Dorchester (85) reported the most confirmed cases in the Lowcountry.
Of the 16 deaths reported for the day, 14 were elderly individuals (65 and older) and two 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 Saturday included one in Aiken County, one in Anderson County, one in Georgetown County, three in Greenville County, two in Horry County, one in Lexington County, one in Marion County, one in Pickens County, four in Spartanburg County and one in Union County.
How are schools affected?
More than 900 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 657 cases among students and 250 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.
Included in the count are positive COVID-19 results obtained from a rapid schools testing initiative the governor announced last month that some districts are in the process of implementing, DHEC said.
A total of 6,186 school-related cases have been reported since Sept. 4, according to DHEC.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Daily case rates have nearly doubled in the past month and are currently the highest they’ve ever been, with 44 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 17 days, are 43% 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 30 days, with an average of 214 tests per 100,000 individuals performed daily in the last month, a 46% increase from the month prior, data show.
An average of about 19% of those tests have come back positive in the past 30 days.
Overall, more than 3.2 million tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 11:32 AM.