Coronavirus cases in Beaufort County rose by five to a total of 174 Wednesday, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data shows.
Statewide, 139 new cases were announced Wednesday for a total of 2,552.
Beaufort had the most cases in Beaufort County at 64. Bluffton followed at 31, the data showed.
Deaths
A sign on Hospital Center Boulevard directs all patients arriving at Hilton Head Hospital to use the emergency room as seen on Monday, March 30, 2020. Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com
Twelve deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the state Wednesday. Ten of those individuals were elderly and two were middle-aged patients with underlying health conditions.
None of the deaths were in Beaufort County.
Sixty-three people have died overall in the state since the pandemic started.
An 89-year-old Hilton Head Island woman died Saturday
An 86-year-old Hilton Head man died Friday
A 72-year-old Beaufort man died March 31
An 81-year-old Beaufort man died March 30
Possible Cases
Two tents sit outside the emergency entrance to Beaufort Memorial Hospital as seen on Friday, April 3, 2020 as part of the care for patients experiencing symptoms that could be the coronavirus. Patients experiencing symptoms first go to the emergency entrance. If symptoms indicate they may need to get tested they are taken to the tent, left, to be screened more thoroughly and then to the next tent to be swabbed for Streptococcus or strep, the flu and COVID-19. Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com
The state projected Wednesday that there are about 1,016 undiagnosed cases for a total of 1,190 possible cases in Beaufort County. The possible cases include the 174 people who have tested positive.
DHEC first released case estimates for every county Monday; that number then was 752 for Beaufort County. The estimate rises with every new positive case.
The department estimated there are up to nine people with the virus for every person who tests positive, a DHEC press release said.
It estimates there were 17,964 possible cases statewide Wednesday.
Zip Code
Dr. Mark Bechtel, D.O., wearing full personal protective equipment explains on Friday, April 2, 2020 at Beaufort Memorial Hospital ’s Express Care on Ribaut Road, that Streptococcus or strep and flu tests are done when swabbing patients whose symptoms could be COVID-19. While the coronavirus results must be sent off-site, strep and flu results can be garnered on site within minutes. When asked about positive flu results Bechtel said, “The flu results have been low.” Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com
Here is a zip code breakdown of where people tested positive and the state’s estimates of other possible cases in Beaufort County as of Wednesday.
64 positive and 457 possible in Beaufort (29902)
6 possible west of Beaufort (29904)
19 positive and 136 possible northwest of Beaufort (29906)
11 positive and 79 possible east of Beaufort (29907)
Seven positive and 50 possible in Okatie (29909)
31 positive and 221 possible in Bluffton (29910)
One positive and 7 possible on Daufuskie Island (29915)
Six positive and 43 possible on St. Helena Island (29920)
18 positive and 129 possible on Hilton Head (29926 and 29928)
Five positive and 36 possible in Port Royal (29935)
One positive and 1 possible in Ridgeland (29936)
One positive and 7 possible in Seabrook (29940)
One positive and seven possible in Sheldon (29941)
One positive and 3 possible in Yemassee (29945)
8 cases are listed as unknown ZIP codes.
Parris Island
Drill instructor conducts close order drill at the 3rd Battalion parade deck aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Feb. 24, 2016. Close order drill helps to instill self-discipline in recruits as they become U.S. Marines. Lance Cpl. Richard Currier Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island
The ZIP code for U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Port Royal, 29905, is not included in the listing by DHEC.
DHEC said Wednesday it believed that the 29905 ZIP code was solely for the depot’s post office and there is no populace associated with the code.
“We’re working to refine the GIS discrepancies like this one and all of the “unknowns” within the ZIP code listings in order to provide the most accurate information,” DHEC spokeswoman Laura Renwick said in an email Wednesday.
Renwick previously said positive cases for Parris Island were reported in the “unknown” category because the cases were reported to DHEC as being in multiple zip codes. She identified 39 positive cases for the Parris Island zip code on Monday.
The data posted by DHEC late Tuesday showed unknown cases dropped by 30 to 11.
Parris Island’s zip code was not added to the overall zip code list and Beaufort’s zip code of 29902 increased by 45 cases.
When asked Wednesday via email which zip code Parris Island was being reported in, Renwick didn’t immediately reply.
Teresa Moss is a crime and public safety reporter for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette. She has worked as a journalist for 16 years for newspapers in Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas.
