DHEC reports 1,112 new coronavirus cases and 18 deaths
The Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 1,112 new coronavirus cases and 18 deaths from the virus Saturday.
Greenville County continues to have the highest number of new cases though cases have dropped across the state. Greenville County had 136 new cases, DHEC said Saturday. Spartanburg County reported 72 new cases.
Richland County had 99 new cases and Lexington County 54.
New cases have risen each of the last three days but are still lower than when cases spiked in January.
Of those who died, 12 were 65 years or older, five were 35 to 64 years old and one person was 18 to 34 years old.
DHEC reported another 335 probable cases and four probable deaths. Probable cases and deaths are likely connected to COVID-19 but have yet to be confirmed. There have been 72,115 probable cases and 952 probable deaths.
Almost 33,500 people were tested for Saturday’s results. Five percent of the tests came back positive. World health experts have said that the percent of positive tests needs to be about 5% to control spread.
As of Saturday, South Carolina has had 442,957 confirmed virus cases and 7,546 deaths from the virus.
Hospitalizations continue to go down. DHEC reported 865 people were hospitalized with coronavirus Saturday. About 78% of all hospital beds in the state are taken up.
About 71% and 86% of beds are taken up in Richland and Lexington counties, according to DHEC.
As of Saturday, 905,929 doses of the vaccine have been administered in South Carolina. That’s about 40,000 more doses since Friday. Another 518,936 appointments are scheduled to give doses of the vaccine.
This story was originally published February 27, 2021 at 11:29 AM.