Beaufort woman reported as COVID-19 death Wednesday; 29 new cases in Beaufort County

A Beaufort woman has become the first COVID-19 related death in June and the 15th overall in Beaufort County since the pandemic started.

The 74-year-old woman died at a nursing home Saturday, Janet Horton, the county’s administrative deputy coroner said Wednesday. The woman had underlying medical conditions, Horton said.

The report of the new death came as the number of new cases in the county remained in double digits.

There were 29 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the county Wednesday by the S.C. Department of Health and Environment Control. Overall, the county has recorded 673 cases.

As of Wednesday, Bluffton led the county with 168 cases. Bluffton case numbers increased by five from Tuesday to Wednesday.

South Carolina recorded 20,551 cases of the novel coronavirus and 617 deaths overall.

The Beaufort woman is one of 10 deaths reported statewide Wednesday.

Nine of the 10 individuals were described as elderly and one as middle aged.

Beaufort County’s seven-day average rose Wednesday for the tenth day in a row. At 27, that average was the highest since the pandemic started.

The county’s lowest seven-day average for new cases was zero on May 9.

About 70% of hospital beds statewide were in use Wednesday.

About 607 of the 7,411 beds were occupied by patients who either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.

DHEC data shows 86% of the beds in Beaufort County, and 71% in Jasper County, were in use.

DHEC does not provide a county-by-county breakdown of how hospital beds are being used.

Coronavirus-related deaths

Here are the Beaufort County deaths recorded by the coroner’s office as of Wednesday.

• 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 woman who died April 4.
• An 83-year-old Lady’s Island woman who died April 7.
• A 75-year-old Bluffton man who died April 9.
• A 71-year-old Hilton Head man who died April 12.
• A 93-year-old Bluffton man who died April 13.
• An 80-year-old Okatie man who died April 19.
• An 80-year-old Yemassee man who died April 23.
• An 84-year-old Beaufort man who died April 28.
• A 79-year-old Bluffton woman who died May 4.
• A 73-year-old Okatie woman who died May 26.
• A 59-year-old Okatie man who died May 27.
• A 74-year-old Beaufort women who died June 13.

Cases by ZIP code

Beaufort County could have as many as 4,134 undiagnosed cases, DHEC officials say.

DHEC does not provide an overall, county-by-county number of cases versus the number of people who have recovered. It also does not release any identifying information or specifics concerning underlying conditions a patient might have.

Positive cases are those in which a patient has been tested for and diagnosed with coronavirus. Because of a lack of access to testing, state health officials have said that for every confirmed case, there could be up to nine people who are infected but have not been tested.

DHEC’s totals can have small increases and decreases day to day as officials find discrepancies in the data.

The cases include anyone who has tested positive since the pandemic started. The data also includes those who have recovered or died.

DHEC counts deaths based on where the patient lives rather than where he or she died.

Coronavirus cases at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island are being reported in the 29902 ZIP code.