SC sees highest COVID-19 case count since January, adds 20 to death toll

South Carolina’s daily COVID-19 case count has hit the highest daily count since around the peak of the pandemic in January, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The agency reported 3,585 new confirmed cases and 893 probable cases on Thursday. The near 4,500 cases is the most since Jan. 22.

The state also reported 15 confirmed deaths and five additional probable deaths, bringing South Carolina’s total coronavirus death toll to 10,039.

The highly contagious delta variant is likely responsible for the majority of new COVID-19 cases in South Carolina, according to state health officials. The exact number of delta cases is unknown because only a fraction of confirmed cases undergo genome sequencing, the process used to determine the variant.

Of the 32,161 COVID-19 tests conducted and reported Friday, 14.6% came back positive. This percentage indicates a very high rate of transmission, according to CDC indicators.

Percent positive refers to the number of positive COVID-19 tests in relation to all COVID-19 tests conducted.

More than 656,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in South Carolina since the start of the pandemic, and nearly 25,000 hospitalizations.

Health officials recommend wearing a face mask and getting the coronavirus vaccine to help limit the spread of the virus. South Carolina currently has a 45% vaccination rate, one of the lowest in the country.

This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 1:02 PM with the headline "SC sees highest COVID-19 case count since January, adds 20 to death toll."

Andrew Caplan

The State

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Andrew Caplan is a watchdog journalist who hails from Florida. He comes to The State Media Company after winning several statewide awards for investigations on elected officials and government entities. He holds a master’s degree from the University of South Florida.