Hilton Head and Bluffton men are 7th and 8th coronavirus deaths in Beaufort County

Two more people in Beaufort County have died of coronavirus, officials reported Monday, bringing the total to eight.

A 93-year-old Bluffton man died Monday, and a 75-year-old Hilton Head man died Sunday, according to Janet Horton, the county’s administrative deputy coroner.

Monday’s death was not included in S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data, as it tends to be about a 24-hour delay.

For the first time in nearly a month, the department reported no new cases for Beaufort County. Before Monday, March 16 was the last time the state recorded no new cases for Beaufort County.

The first case was announced in the county March 14. Overall, 194 people have tested positive for the virus in Beaufort County since the worldwide health crisis was declared a pandemic March 11.

The county has as many as 1,192 undiagnosed cases, according to state estimates. Added to the number of confirmed cases, Beaufort County has up to 1,386 possible cases, the release says.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster said during a Monday press conference that the state is prepared for the worst.

“The compliance has been good across the board in all the things we’ve asked people to do, but now is not the time to let up,” McMaster said. “We have to keep on going and keep working and working together and following the advice and recommendations that have come from the official sources, and I believe we will make great progress and we will come out of this very well.”

There were five deaths reported by DHEC statewide. All of the individuals were elderly with underlying health conditions. Overall South Carolina has seen 87 deaths and 3,439 positive cases statewide.

“Let’s continue to remember that these are not just numbers,” Brannon Traxler, DHEC physician consultant, said during the press conference. “They are people. None of us are immune to this disease, and there is currently no vaccine.”

Coronavirus cases by ZIP code

Here is the breakdown of coronavirus cases in Beaufort County ZIP codes and nearby areas, both positive and possible. According to DHEC, these numbers are current as of Sunday at midnight:

• 68 positive and 486 possible in Beaufort (29902)
• No positive and six possible west of Beaufort (29904)
• 22 positive and 157 possible northwest of Beaufort (29906)
• 14 positive and 100 possible east of Beaufort (29907)
• 10 positive and 71 possible in Okatie (29909)
• 36 positive and 257 possible in Bluffton (29910)
• One positive and seven possible on Daufuskie Island (29915)
• Eight positive and 57 possible on St. Helena Island (29920)
• 13 positive and 93 possible on Hilton Head Island (29926)
• Seven positive and 50 possible on Hilton Head Island (29928)
• Five positive and 36 possible in Port Royal (29935)
• Six positive and 43 possible in Ridgeland (29936)
• Five positive and 36 possible in Hardeeville (29927)
• One positive and 7 possible in Seabrook (29940)
• One positive and seven possible in Sheldon (29941)
• Three positive and 21 possible in Yemassee (29945)

Positive cases are those in which a patient has been tested and diagnosed with coronavirus. Possible cases include positive and estimated coronavirus cases that 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 who are infected but have not been tested.

Coronavirus-related deaths

Beaufort County has had eight coronavirus-related deaths. All were elderly patients, according to DHEC and Beaufort County Coroner information. They are:

• 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.
• A Bluffton man who died April 9. His age is unknown.
• A 75-year-old Hilton Head man died Sunday

• A 93-year-old Bluffton man died Monday.

How many COVID-19 cases on Parris Island?

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Port Royal stopped releasing information about coronavirus cases to the public nearly two weeks ago but officials said the information would still be reported to DHEC.

A DHEC spokeswoman has said a ZIP Code for Parris Island was solely for the depot’s post office and that there was no populace associated with that code. She said the cases associated with the ZIP code are being absorbed into the nearest zip code of 29906 per “geocoding best practices,” the spokeswoman said.

The 29906 ZIP code for an area northwest of Beaufort showed 22 cases of coronavirus Monday.

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 6:32 PM.