Beaufort County records 1 additional death, 5 more confirmed coronavirus cases
Five more people tested positive for the coronavirus in Beaufort County and another resident died after being infected, state health officials announced Saturday.
The individual who died was elderly and had underlying health conditions, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental control said in a statement. More information wasn’t immediately available from local officials.
The county now has 191 confirmed cases and six coronavirus-related deaths.
Beaufort County congregations are holding drive-in Easter Sunday services via telephone, streaming platforms and drive-in gatherings where those in attendance will remain in their cars.
On Saturday, the U.S. surpassed Italy by recording the most confirmed coronavirus deaths of any country in the world, with over 20,000, reported the Washington Post. Italy has reported 19,468 deaths, according to a map published Johns Hopkins University tracking COVID-19 cases globally.
Across South Carolina, 3,207 people have tested positive for the virus, and health officials estimate 19,700 more people have been infected, according to Saturday’s data. DHEC reported 80 coronavirus-related deaths in the state as of Saturday.
Here is the breakdown of coronavirus cases in Beaufort County and surrounding ZIP codes, both positive and estimated. According to DHEC, these numbers are current as of Friday at midnight:
- 66 positive and 405 possible in Beaufort (29902)
- No positive and six possible west of Beaufort (29904)
- 21 positive and 129 possible northwest of Beaufort (29906)
- 13 positive and 80 possible east of Beaufort (29907)
- 10 positive and 61 possible in Okatie (29909)
- 36 positive and 221 possible in Bluffton (29910)
- One positive and six possible on Daufuskie Island (29915)
- Eight positive and 49 possible on St. Helena Island (29920)
- 13 positive and 80 possible on Hilton Head Island (29926)
- Seven positive and 43 possible on Hilton Head Island (29928)
- Five positive and 31 possible in Port Royal (29935)
- Six positive and 37 possible in Ridgeland (29936)
- Five positive and 31 possible in Hardeeville (29927)
- One positive and six possible in Seabrook (29940)
- One positive and six possible in Sheldon (29941)
- Three positive and 18 possible in Yemassee (29945)
Positive cases are those in which a patient has been tested and diagnosed with coronavirus. Possible cases are estimated numbers of those who may have coronavirus but have not been diagnosed. Because of a lack of access to testing, state health officials said this week that for every one confirmed case, there could be up to nine people that are infected but have not been tested.
DHEC previously separated ZIP-code level data by county. Saturday’s data was presented by ZIP code only, meaning ZIP codes that cover multiple counties could include confirmed cases from more than one county.
Coronavirus-related deaths in Beaufort County
Beaufort County has had five coronavirus-related deaths. All were elderly patients with underlying health conditions, according to DHEC. They include:
- An 81-year-old Beaufort man who died March 30
- A 72-year-old Beaufort man who died March 31
- An 86-year-old Hilton Head Island man who died April 3
- An 89-year-old Hilton Head Island woman who died April 4
- A 73-year-old Lady’s Island woman who died April 7
- An elderly individual whose death was announced on April 11. Details weren’t available Saturday.
How many COVID-19 cases are on Parris Island?
Coronavirus cases related to the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island south of Port Royal have been difficult to track in DHEC’s ZIP code data because the 29905 ZIP code associated with the depot was removed from the daily report.
After several changes in reporting practices, the latest DHEC has said the 29905 ZIP code’s cases have been absorbed into 29906, the nearest ZIP code, per “geocoding best practices,” according to a spokesperson’s email on Thursday.
On Saturday, there were 21 confirmed cases in the 29906 ZIP code.
Parris Island officials stopped reporting information about COVID-19 cases to the public after the U.S. Department of Defense ordered military installations to do so to protect operational security at the end of March.
Before that order, Parris Island officials confirmed there were more than 20 cases at the depot.
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This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
