SC schools report their highest rise in COVID cases with 206 since Tuesday

The S.C. Department of Environmental Health and Control announced 206 new cases of coronavirus in K-12 schools since Tuesday, the largest spike since DHEC began reporting the twice-weekly numbers Sept. 4.

The 1,483 positive COVID-19 tests since school began include 1,038 student cases and 445 employee cases, according to the DHEC database updated Friday.

On Tuesday, 136 new cases were reported, an increase from the 99 new cases reported the Friday before that.

The number of school-related infections do not mean that faculty or students contracted the virus at school.

Online students who come to school for sports or extracurricular activities are included in the numbers. It is not reported how many students or faculty have recovered from the virus or how many cases are still active.

The jumps came after Lexington 1 and Richland-Lexington 5 began in-person classes four days a week. Richland 1 and 2 are still online only, but Richland 1 announced it will resume in-person classes twice a week the week of Oct. 26.

These cases were reported in Midlands schools, with only numbers higher than five specified according to DHEC:

Lexington 1

• Beechwood Middle School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Carolina Springs Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Carolina Springs Middle Scholl has less than five student cases.
• Centerville Elementary School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Forts Pond Elementary School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Gilbert Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Gilbert High School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Gilbert Middle School has less than five student cases.
• Lake Murray Elementary School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Lexington Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• Lexington High School has 13 student cases.
• Lexington Middle School has less than five student cases.
• Meadow Glen Middle School has less than five student cases.
• Midway Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Pelion Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• Pelion High School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Pleasant Hill Middle School has less than five student cases.
• Red Bank Elementary school has less than five student cases.
• River Bluff High School has 9 student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Rocky Creek Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Saxe Gotha Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• White Knoll High School has less than five student cases.

Lexington 2

• Airport High School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Brookland-Cayce Senior High School has less than five student cases.
• Cayce Elementary School has less than five student cases.
  
  
• Herbert A. Wood Elementary School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Pine Ridge Middle School has less than five student cases.
• R.H. Fulmer Middle School has less than five student cases.
• Saluda River Academy for the Arts has less than five student cases.

Lexington 4

• Sandhills Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Sandhills Middle School has less than five student cases.
• Swansea High School has less than five student cases.
• Swansea High Freshman Academy has less than five student cases.

Lexington- Richland 5

• Ballentine Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• Chapin High School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Chapin Intermediate School has less than five faculty cases.
• Chapin Middle School has less than five faculty cases.
• Dutch Fork Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Dutch Fork High School has less than five faculty cases.
• Dutch Fork Middle School has less than five faculty cases.
• H.E. Corley Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Irmo Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• Irmo High School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Irmo Middle School has less than five student cases.
• Leaphart Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Seven Oaks Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• Spring Hill High School has less than five student cases.

Richland 1

• A.C. Flora High School has less than five student cases.
• Columbia High School has less than five student cases.
• Hand Middle School has less than five faculty cases.
• Hopkins Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.

Richland 2

• Catawba Trail Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• Forest Lake Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• L.B. Nelson Elementary School has less than five student cases.
• Muller Road Middle School has less than five faculty cases.
• North Springs Elementary School has less than five faculty cases.
• Richland Northeast High School has less than five student cases.
• Spring Valley High School has less than five student cases and less than five faculty cases.
• Windsor Elementary School has less than five student cases.

Private schools in Lexington County

• Arrows Academy has fewer than 5 student cases.
• Grace Christian has fewer than 5 employee cases.
• Heritage Christian Academy has fewer than 5 student cases.
• Lake Murray Baptist Church Kindergarten has fewer than 5 student cases.

Private schools in Richland County

• Hammond has fewer than 5 student cases.
• Heathwood Hall has fewer than 5 student cases.
• St. Peter’s Catholic School has fewer than 5 student cases.
• Ben Lippen has fewer than 5 student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases.
• Cardinal Newman has fewer than 5 student cases.

This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 3:18 PM.