Three South Carolina cities among worst COVID hotspots in US, White House report shows
Three South Carolina communities are among the hardest-hit by coronavirus in the nation, a White House COVID-19 Task Force report shows.
With case counts and hospitalizations repeatedly shattering record highs in recent weeks, there’s little question COVID-19 is surging in the Palmetto State — but two Upstate cities and one in the Pee Dee were identified in the report as especially concerning.
Greenville had the highest number of coronavirus cases per capita of all mid-sized cities in the U.S., according to the report. From Dec. 31 to Jan. 6, the city had 7,242 infections, or 787 per 100,000.
The report defines mid-size cities as having a population between 250,000 to 1 million.
Spartanburg ranked ninth out of the 10 cities in the mid-size category, contributing 2,155 new COVID cases, or 674 per 100,000 — a 31% increase over the previous week.
By comparison, Greenville’s case count grew 21% from the week prior.
Then in the smaller cities — those between 50,000 to 250,000 — Florence ranked fifth.
Florence saw 1,669 residents infected, which equates to 814 per 100,000, the report shows. However, cases increased 9% in Florence from the week before, the smallest increase of 10 cities listed in the category.
Friday, a day after the White House report was released, South Carolina health officials reported 4,986 new cases of coronavirus, the highest single-day count since the pandemic began. The previous record of 4,370 was set on Christmas, The State reported.
As of Jan. 8, there have been over 315,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, and 5,217 deaths. Nearly 2,400 South Carolinians are currently hospitalized with the virus.
The full White House report rankings are as follows:
Large cities (population over 1 million)
- Dallas, Texas, 669 (cases per 100,000)
- Phoenix, Arizona, 887
- Nashville, Tennessee, 608
- San Antonio, Texas, 529
- Las Vegas, Nevada, 537
- Charlotte, North Carolina, 547
- Atlanta, Georgia, 501
- Tucson, Arizona, 745
- Miami, Florida, 537
- Indianapolis, Indiana, 540
Mid-size cities (population 250,000-1 million)
- Greenville, South Carolina, 787 (cases per 100,000)
- Provo, Utah, 778
- Tulsa, Oklahoma, 596
- Chattanooga, Tennessee, 676
- Knoxville, Tennessee, 586
- Ogden, Utah, 611
- Augusta, Georgia, 580
- Evansville, Indiana, 757
- Spartanburg, South Carolina, 674
- Pensacola, Florida, 638
Small cities (population 50,000-250,000)
- Yuma, Arizona, 1,066 (cases per 100,000)
- Lake Havasu City, Arizona, 943
- Wichita Falls, Texas, 826
- Warner Robins, Georgia, 808
- Florence, South Carolina, 814
- Gainesville, Georgia, 680
- Athens, Georgia, 632
- Morristown, Tennessee, 704
- Johnson City, Tennessee, 629
- Pottsville, Pennsylvania, 772
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 5:53 PM.