Spike of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beaufort Co. continued Saturday with new daily record
As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases along South Carolina’s coasts continues to explode, Beaufort County recorded its highest single-day number Saturday with 60 new cases, according to state data.
The previous high in the county was 48 new cases reported June 18.
The latest report falls in line with a week full of sharp increases in the average daily number of infections reported by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The county’s total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began stands at 816.
The state as a whole also experienced another record number of new infections with 1,157 cases reported Saturday. That brings the total number of cases in South Carolina to 23,756.
No new deaths were reported in Beaufort County Saturday, keeping the total number at 15 since the pandemic began.
There were five new deaths across the state Saturday, all of them elderly individuals, DHEC said. There have been 644 coronavirus-related deaths in the state to date.
Although access to testing has increased, Memorial Day travel and relaxed social distancing have likely contributed to the upward trend in cases, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reported.
Two of the three counties that had more than 100 confirmed cases documented Saturday are also coastal counties. Charleston County had 178 new cases and Horry County had 121. Greenville, another area popular with tourists, had 124.
Restaurants and events in the area are continuing to feel the effects of the pandemic as emails surfaced revealing that S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster opened indoor dining and other businesses sooner than DHEC advised.
One Hilton Head Island mainstay, Main Street Cafe and Pub, will temporarily close until August, its owners citing the dramatic increase in cases.
In Bluffton, popular Old Town restaurant Captain Woody’s closed indefinitely Friday after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. It said all employees will be tested and the eatery will reopen when it is safe.
The PGA Tournament confirmed one golfer tested positive for coronavirus while participating in RBC Heritage Ppresented by Boeing. Eleven people who may have had close contact with the golfer were tested and results came back negative for each of them.
Cases have increased throughout the county, not just in Bluffton and on Hilton Head, according to ZIP code data.
Beaufort County could have as many as 5,013 undiagnosed cases, DHEC officials say.
DHEC 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 COVID-19. 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.
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This story was originally published June 20, 2020 at 1:14 PM.
