SC K-12 schools added almost 900 coronavirus cases in the last 15 days

South Carolina schools have seen nearly 900 new coronavirus cases in roughly the last two weeks, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data.

The 3,004 cases recorded since school began include 2,095 student cases and 909 employee cases, according to the DHEC database updated Friday.

On Oct. 27, just over two weeks ago, cases in K-12 schools had broken the 2,000 mark for the first time, according to a previous article from The State.

The new data come as more S.C. school districts, are phasing-in face-to-face classes.

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 November 13, 2020 at 2:43 PM with the headline "SC K-12 schools added almost 900 coronavirus cases in the last 15 days."