SC reports 3,363 COVID-19 cases, 39 deaths Thursday
State health officials Thursday reported 3,363 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 39 deaths from the virus.
Of the 13,734 tests reported Thursday, 24.5% came back positive. Percent positivity rates have remained below 25% — albeit just barely — for the past week, according to DHEC. Prior to last Friday, the daily percentage of positive tests had exceeded 25% for 17 consecutive days.
COVID-19 hospitalizations, which reached record highs multiple times in the past couple weeks, remain elevated at 2,345 Thursday, but are down slightly from their peak a week ago. Coronavirus patients take up nearly 25% of all occupied South Carolina hospital beds, data show.
Since last March, the state has reported 366,149 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 5,768 coronavirus deaths.
South Carolina counts another 38,343 cases, including 118 Thursday, as probable positives, and another 605 deaths, including six Thursday, 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.
Vaccines distributed
As of Thursday, South Carolina had received 273,975 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and 150,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The agency reported Thursday that 127,759 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 29,183 doses of the Moderna vaccine had been administered so far. Another 33,429 second doses of the Pfizer vaccine have also been administered.
Health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, and hospital inpatients over 65 are currently eligible to receive the vaccine. As of Jan. 13, all South Carolinians age 70 and older are now also able to schedule vaccination appointments.
In addition to the 190,191 first and second vaccine doses that have been administered, another 253,714 people have schedule appointments to receive a shot, DHEC said.
Anyone eligible to receive a vaccine who would like to get one can use DHEC’s locator tool to find a provider with availability near you at www.scdhec.gov/vaxlocator.
State health officials advise South Carolinians to continue taking measures to mitigate spread of COVID-19 as the vaccination rollout progresses in the months ahead.
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?
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 dipped slightly Thursday to 2,345, the 17th straight day they’ve exceeded 2,300. COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked at 2,466 on Jan. 13
Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 479 are in intensive care units, and 311 are on ventilators, according to DHEC.
Total hospital bed occupancy, which has hovered around 80% for weeks, was at 84% Thursday, while ICU bed occupancy was just above 80%, data show.
In Richland County, 78% of hospital beds were occupied Wednesday, and in Lexington County, 90% of beds are full, data show.
Which counties were affected?
COVID-19 cases in the Upstate continue to outpace all other South Carolina regions.
The Upstate’s seven-day average of new cases is about 1,470, far higher than it was two months ago, but lower than it’s been for most of the new year, according to DHEC.
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 two months and was recently ranked among the nation’s top COVID-19 hotspots. Among South Carolina counties, Greenville County is second only to Pickens County in its per capita rate of COVID-19 infection over the last two months.
In the Upstate Thursday, Greenville County led all counties with 559 confirmed cases, followed by Spartanburg County with 319 cases, Anderson County with 147 cases, Laurens County with 109 cases and Greenwood County with 102 cases, according to DHEC.
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are elevated, but remain below the Upstate’s numbers, with a seven-day average of about 1,060 cases. Richland led all Midlands counties Wednesday with 212 cases, followed by Lexington with 170 and York with 105 confirmed 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 six weeks.
Horry County (147) reported the most cases in the PeeDee Thursday, while Beaufort County’s 171 cases and Charleston County’s 148 cases were most in the Lowcountry.
Of the 39 deaths reported statewide Thursday, 32 were elderly (65 and older), seven were middle-aged (35-64), according to DHEC.
South Carolinians from infants to age 106 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 Thursday included five Greenville residents; four residents each from Beaufort and Horry counties; three residents each from Dorchester and Lexington counties; two residents each from Charleston, Florence, Greenwood, Jasper and Spartanburg counties; and a single resident each from Abbeville, Anderson, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dillon, Lancaster, Laurens, Marion, Marlboro and Pickens counties.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Daily case rates are the highest they’ve ever been, up 66% in the last month, with 89 people per 100,000 testing positive for the novel coronavirus over the past 30 days.
The state has reported at least 4,000 daily confirmed cases 10 times this month and at least 3,000 cases on 17 days in January.
Before December, South Carolina had only reported 2,000 confirmed daily COVID-19 cases three times and never on consecutive days.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have also remained elevated the past few weeks, with the number of coronavirus patients reported Thursday nearly 10% higher than the average over the past month, according to DHEC.
The number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs Thursday was 13% higher than the 30-day average, and the number of coronavirus patients on ventilators was 35% higher than the average over the past month.
The number of people being tested across the state is also rising. An average of 256 tests per 100,000 individuals have been performed daily over the last 30 days, a nearly 17% increase from the month prior, data show.
The state’s seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate, which provides an idea of how widespread infection is in a testing area, is 23.4% and the 30-day positivity rate is 27.3%.
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 last year advised governments not to reopen until percent positive rates were at 5% or lower for at least 14 days.
Roughly 17% of all COVID-19 tests administered in South Carolina since last March have come back positive, according to DHEC. The state’s seven-day percent positive rate briefly dipped below 5% in mid-May but has otherwise remained well above the WHO’s guidelines for reopening.
Overall, more than 4.5 million tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 1:37 PM with the headline "SC reports 3,363 COVID-19 cases, 39 deaths Thursday."