After months of decline, reported COVID cases increase. Is the Delta variant to blame?
After continuous declines of new coronavirus cases since March, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported a week-to-week increase in new cases.
DHEC reported 841 new cases of coronavirus from June 28 to July 2. Last week, 647 cases were reported.
That’s an average of about 168 reported cases a day.
DHEC is now reporting new COVID-19 data Monday through Friday.
At least 17 deaths were reported by DHEC in the past week in South Carolina.
The percent of positive tests also slightly increased. From June 28 to July 2, the percentage of positive tests reported was 2.6% compared with 2.16% last week.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a positivity rate consistently below 5% means the virus spread is slowing in a community.
The increases come as state public health officials warn that South Carolina could experience a surge in coronavirus cases because of the combination of low vaccination rates and the encroaching Delta variant of the virus.
Almost 60,000 more people were reported to have completed vaccination as of June 30, the last day reported by DHEC. Nearly 1.83 million people are vaccinated in South Carolina. That’s about 43% of the state’s residents.
As of Friday, 124 people were hospitalized in the state with coronavirus. That’s down from 130 last week.
At least 597,261 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 9,830 have died since March 2020, according to DHEC.
DHEC has launched its “Shot and a Chaser” campaign in partnership with the South Carolina Brewers Guild. The campaign will reward anyone who gets a COVID-19 shot at select breweries across the state with a free beer or soda, the agency said.
To learn how to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, visit The State’s website.