28 new COVID-19 cases reported in Beaufort County Monday; total surpasses 884

Twenty-eight new cases of COVID-19 — bringing the total to 884 overall — were reported in Beaufort County on Monday by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

As of Monday, Bluffton continued to lead the county with 232 cases.

South Carolina has recorded a total of 25,666 cases of the novel coronavirus and 659 deaths overall since the pandemic began.

Six COVID-19 related deaths were confirmed Monday in the state. Four of the people who died were elderly; two were middle aged.

No new deaths were reported in Beaufort County on Monday.

Beaufort County’s seven-day average of new coronavirus cases rose Monday for the 15th day in a row. At 41, that average is the highest since the pandemic started.

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

About 67% of hospital beds statewide were in use Monday.

About 731 of the 7,119 beds in use were occupied by patients who either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.

DHEC data shows 67% of the beds in Beaufort County, and 54% 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 Monday.

• 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 5,430 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 someone who dies from the coronavirus might have had.

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 total count of 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.