Beaufort County COVID-19 cases reach new daily high Thursday at 48; total surpasses 700.

Beaufort County’s COVID-19 cases have been steadily rising for two weeks and on Thursday set a county record for most new cases reported in one day since the pandemic started.

S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 48 new cases Thursday. That is 15 cases higher than the county’s record of 33 — recorded on June 12 and June 16.

The county’s case total also surpassed 700 Thursday with 721 reported since the pandemic started.

As of Thursday, Bluffton continued to lead the county with 178 cases. Bluffton case numbers increased by 10 from Wednesday to Thursday.

South Carolina has recorded a total of 21,533 cases of the novel coronavirus and 621 deaths overall since the pandemic began. The state had 987 new cases Thursday, a new daily record.

There were four COVID-19 related deaths confirmed Thursday in the state. Three of those deaths were in elderly individuals and one in a middle aged individual.

There were no new deaths reported in Beaufort County Thursday.

Beaufort County’s seven-day average rose Thursday for the tenth day in a row. At 30, 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 626 of the 7,021 beds were occupied by patients who either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.

DHEC data shows 78% of the beds in Beaufort County, and 69% 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 Thursday.

• 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

Here is the breakdown of confirmed coronavirus cases in Beaufort County ZIP codes:

Beaufort County could have as many as 4,429 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 been 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.

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 5:31 PM.