The face of a pandemic: The demographic makeup of a South Carolina coronavirus patient
What does a person who has contracted the coronavirus COVID-19 look like in South Carolina?
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control released data Tuesday on the demographics and preexisting health conditions of state residents who have tested positive for the virus, with additional statistics for those who have died.
The state had 10,623 positive cases and 466 deaths reported as of Wednesday, according to DHEC.
The average age of a COVID-19 patient in the state is 49, and the age group 51-60 has the most cases with 17 percent of the total.
The average age of people whose deaths are attributed to the virus is 75 and fatalities range from the ages of 20 to 105, though patients under the age of 41 account for just 1.3 percent of deaths.
Women have been more impacted than men, accounting for 56 percent of the cases.
Black individuals are being impacted at a much higher rate than their percentage of the state’s population, which is 28 percent, according to the 2010 Census.
According to DHEC, black individuals account for 44 percent of COVID-19 cases, white individuals 42 percent and Hispanic individuals 10 percent.
Blacks account for 52 percent of the deaths and whites are 41 percent.
Nursing home residents and healthcare workers have been particularly hard hit, as 1,137 healthcare workers tested positive as of Tuesday, while 1,854 positive cases were confirmed among residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities with 192 resulting in death as of Tuesday.
Regarding positive cases involving individuals with any of 14 of the more common underlying health conditions and preexisting chronic illnesses being tracked by DHEC, cardiovascular disease is the most common ailment followed by diabetes mellitus.
The information is based on interviews DHEC staff has with individuals who test positive for COVID-19, and available data is from between 31 percent and 41 percent of total positive cases — the variance depending on the condition.
Counts for each pre-existing condition are not mutually exclusive, so individuals can fall into more than one category.
▪ Cardiovascular disease – 40.2 percent of COVID-19 cases have reported having cardiovascular disease and they have accounted for 62.4 percent of deaths, while 52.9 percent reported not having it and 7 percent were unsure.
▪ Diabetes mellitus – 38 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 53.1 percent of deaths, while 37.6 percent reported not having it and 9.3 percent were unsure.
▪ COPD, bronchitis or emphysema – 15.7 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 27.4 percent of deaths, while 76 percent reported not having it and 8.4 percent were unsure.
▪ Asthma – 17.1 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 13.7 percent of deaths, while 69.5 percent reported not having it and 13.4 percent were unsure.
▪ Congestive heart failure – 4 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 12.2 percent of deaths, while 68 percent reported not having it and 28 percent were unsure.
▪ Neurologic/neurodevelopmental/intellectual disability – 15.7 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 25.4 percent of deaths, while 69.9 percent reported not having it and 14.5 percent were unsure.
▪ Cerebral accident/stroke – 4.4 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 12.3 percent of deaths, while 66.7 percent reported not having it and 28.9 percent were unsure.
▪ Immunosuppressive – 8.5 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 12.9 percent of deaths, while 82 percent reported not having it and 9.5 percent were unsure.
▪ History kidney diseases/renal disease – 7.1 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 22.8 percent of deaths, while 76.3 percent reported not having it and 16.6 percent were unsure.
▪ Chronic renal failure - end-stage renal disease/dialysis – 7.3 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 16.7 percent of deaths, while 83.3 percent reported not having it and 9.5 percent were unsure.
▪ Chronic liver disease – 2.2 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 3.1 percent of deaths, while 88.2 percent reported not having it and 9.6 percent were unsure.
▪ Systemic lupus erythematosus – 1 percent have reported having the condition and they have accounted for 0.8 percent of deaths, while 68.9 percent reported not having it and 30.1 percent were unsure.
▪ Current smoker – 4.4 percent have reported being active smokers and they have accounted for 0.8 percent of deaths, while 62.1 percent reported not actively smoking and 33.5 percent did not disclose.
▪ Former smoker – 13.5 percent have reported being past smokers and they have accounted for 13.2 percent of deaths, while 52.6 percent reported not being a former smoker and 33.9 did not disclose.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 9:13 PM with the headline "The face of a pandemic: The demographic makeup of a South Carolina coronavirus patient."
