COVID-19 cases spiking in people under 30 as daily SC count tops 1,000
A day after South Carolina reported its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases, state health officials broke that record after they identified 1,081 more Friday, bringing the statewide total number of cases to 22,608.
Before Friday, the Palmetto State had never seen a single day increase of 1,000 or more cases.
State officials also announced that they are seeing a spike in cases in people under the age of 30.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials also announced Friday that 18 more people died after contracting the virus. In all, 639 people have died in South Carolina after testing positive for COVID-19.
“This is a reminder that COVID-19 is not over,” DHEC’s Dr. Brannon Traxler said Friday.
WHICH COUNTIES WERE AFFECTED?
Charleston saw the largest increase in cases with 153. It was followed by Greenville and Horry counties with 115 new cases each.
Horry County saw three new deaths, tying with Greenville for the most reported out of any county. Charleston, Orangeburg and Spartanburg each saw two deaths, while Chesterfield, Colleton, Lancaster and Sumter counties saw one.
What’s new?
People under the age of 30 have seen the largest spike in their coronavirus infection rate, with an about 400% increase in cases since April 4. According to DHEC, 18.4% of all cases were patients between the ages of 21-30.
People in their teens account for about 7% of all cases.
“The increases that we’re seeing serve as a warning that young adults and youth are not immune to COVID-19,” Traxler said. “They also tell us that younger South Carolinians are not taking social distancing seriously.”
Traxler also warned that not all young adults will see only mild symptoms.
DHEC officials also cleared up the misconception that the state is in its “second wave” of coronavirus cases.
“We are still in the first wave, “ Traxler said.
ARE ALL CASES ACCOUNTED FOR?
Mostly likely not. That’s because state health officials suspect that many COVID-19 infections go undiagnosed or untested.
As of Friday, the believed that about 161,500 people likely had the virus in South Carolina since March.
In one effort to improve the state’s understanding of how the coronavirus disease is spreading, DHEC officials have started tracking and releasing the number of probable cases and probable deaths, state health officials announced Wednesday. A probable case is someone who has not received lab test results, but has coronavirus symptoms or a positive antibody test, according to DHEC’s definition. A probable death would be someone whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death or a contributing factor, but has not received a lab test.
On Friday, officials found five probable cases and no additional deaths.
HOW ARE HOSPITALS BEING IMPACTED?
As COVID-19 spreads, the number of the state’s 10,500 or so hospital beds that are filled by people with the virus increases.
After breaking the record for the most hospitalized coronavirus patients Thursday, state health officials announced Friday that of the 7,461 occupied beds, 660 were being used by COVID-19 patients or those who likely have it, setting a new record again. Of those 83 were on ventilators, Traxler said.
“That’s why we need people to take those public health recommendations seriously,” Traxler said.
Hospitals across the state were at 71.2% capacity.
Locally, hospitals are seeing an even larger shortage in bed space. In Richland County, 74.5% of beds are in use, and in Lexington County, 81.7%.
In April and May, the daily number of hospitalized patients averaged at about 411, and did not surpass 500. In ten of the last eleven days, the number of COVID-19 patients, confirmed or suspected, who were hospitalized exceeded 500.
DHEC officials have warned that an uptick in coronavirus cases may lead to an increase in hospitalizations weeks later.
HOW IS COVID-19 TRENDING IN SC?
South Carolina has seen a wave of coronavirus cases lately, showing that the virus’ activity in the state is increasing. Last week, DHEC officials saw daily case counts between 434 and 802, an increase of hundreds of cases from the daily case counts in March, April and early May.
From mid-April to mid-May, health officials saw, on average, about 166 cases per day. From June 7 to June 14, South Carolina saw an average of 619 new cases per day.
To show that the virus is quickly spreading throughout the state, DHEC officials have pointed to the percentage of tests that are positive. Over the last 28 days, that number has gone up.
Friday, DHEC officials announced that 16.1% of tests were positive. That number is similar to what state health officials saw on days in March and early April, when the cases were increasing rapidly, but officials were doing less testing.
Over ten of the last eleven days, officials have seen more than 10% of tests showing positive results.
At its lowest point, the percent of positive tests fell between 2-4% on average.
WHY ARE CASE NUMBERS UP?
The increase in coronavirus cases could be due to more people leaving their homes and fewer wearing masks and practicing social distancing, DHEC officials have said.
On Thursday, State Epidemiologist Linda Bell pleaded for South Carolinians to wear masks every time they leave the home. She also warned that “every day that we don’t all do our part, we are extending the duration” of COVID-19.
Starting April 20, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has gradually reopened businesses, including restaurants, retailers, beaches and close contact businesses such as gyms and salons. The Columbia Republican pushed to open some attractions as well by Memorial Day.
The governor has also said that he does not plan to reimpose or add new restrictions on businesses or require residents to wear masks, adding that it’s South Carolinians’ individual responsibility to practice social distancing.
HOW DHEC’S TESTING PLAN IMPACTS CASE NUMBERS
DHEC officials have said their increased testing strategy could also be driving up the number of cases identified each day.
The state health agency set a goal of testing about 2% of the state’s population in June, a goal they met in May.
Since March, labs have completed 321,689 tests.
But while cases have increased dramatically, the number of daily tests has stayed relatively steady since the week of May 10, completing about 35,000 tests a week.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 3:49 PM with the headline "COVID-19 cases spiking in people under 30 as daily SC count tops 1,000."
