Richland County sheriff’s deputy tests positive for coronavirus
A Richland County sheriff’s deputy has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The unidentified deputy was diagnosed with the virus on Thursday, the sheriff’s department announced on Facebook. The deputy, the first full-time officer of the department to come down with the disease, is the latest case of COVID-19 in South Carolina’s most heavily hit county.
The deputy first became ill on April 8, and was immediately sent home, the department’s statement said. His work station was also promptly sanitized. The deputy is not a patrol deputy and would not have responded to calls from the public, the department said.
After being tested on April 13, the deputy was diagnosed with the virus on April 16. He became the first full-time deputy to be diagnosed, after a volunteer reserve deputy previously came down with coronavirus symptoms. That deputy has since recovered.
Sheriff Leon Lott says deputies in Richland County have access to protective equipment and other preventive measures such as hand sanitizer. The department’s vehicles and buildings have also been decontaminated, he said.
“As Covid-19 continues to spread within Richland County, we’d like to assure citizens that our deputies are provided with the best equipment to protect them and the public during their daily interactions,” Lott said via Facebook. “We wish a speedy recovery to our deputy and will continue to take preventative measures to stop the virus from spreading.”
The deputy was one of 276 new coronavirus cases announced on Thursday, as the virus continues to spread across the state. Richland County has the highest number of cases with 579, and 13 people have died in the county from COVID-19 in the past two months.
Health officials expect the disease to reach its peak in South Carolina by May 2.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 7:46 AM.
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