SC K-12 schools break 2,000 mark for coronavirus cases since school began

S.C. K-12 schools have seen 186 new coronavirus cases since Tuesday, when cases were last reported, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data.

The 2,142 cases recorded since school began include 1,496 student cases and 646 employee cases, according to the DHEC database updated Tuesday.

When numbers were last reported Friday, K-12 schools had 1,956 cases, according to a previous article from The State.

The increase between Tuesday and Friday, 186, is about the same as it was between last Friday to Tuesday, in which there was an increase of 184.

The data apply to all SC public, private and charter schools, the majority of which either have no cases or fewer than five cases, according to DHEC data.

The case numbers show how many students and employees who attend or work at a school have tested positive for coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean the infected person contracted COVID-19 from being at the school.

Schools that are still virtual-only may have cases listed in the DHEC database because the infected student or employee may have been participating in a school sponsored event, such as sports, when they were potentially contagious.

This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 2:27 PM with the headline "SC K-12 schools break 2,000 mark for coronavirus cases since school began."