55-year-old Beaufort man reported as COVID-19 related death; 29 new cases in county

A 55-year-old Beaufort man is the youngest Beaufort County resident to die from COVID-19, the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office reported Tuesday.

Most county coronavirus victims have been in the their 70s and 80s.

The man died June 13 at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. His death was reported to the coroner’s office Tuesday, said Janet Horton, administrative deputy coroner.

He is the second COVID-19 related death recorded in Beaufort County in June, the county’s 16th death since the pandemic began.

Twenty-nine new cases of COVID-19 were reported the county Tuesday by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control — bringing the total number of cases to 911.

As of Tuesday, Bluffton continued to lead the county with 237 cases overall.

South Carolina has recorded a total of 26,572 cases of the novel coronavirus and 673 deaths overall since the pandemic began.

Fourteen COVID-19 related deaths were confirmed Tuesday in the state. Eleven of the people who died were elderly; three were middle aged.

Beaufort County’s seven-day average of new coronavirus cases remained at 39 for the third day in a row. That is the highest the average has been since the pandemic started.

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

About 72% of hospital beds statewide were in use Tuesday, and about 824 of the 7,575 beds being used were occupied by patients who either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.

DHEC data shows 68% of the beds in Beaufort County, and 66% in Jasper County, were in use.

Hilton Head Regional Healthcare System was treating 3 COVID-19 inpatients as of Tuesday, spokeswoman Daisy Burroughs said. The system includes HIlton Head and Coastal Carolina hospitals.

Beaufort Memorial Hospital was treating nine inpatients. Three of them were on ventilators as of Tuesday, Courtney McDermott, hospital spokeswoman, said.

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 Tuesday.

• 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.
• A 55-year-old Beaufort man who died June 13

Cases by ZIP code

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

193 positive in Beaufort (29902)

99 positive northwest of Beaufort (29906)

41 positive east of Beaufort (29907)

48 positive in Okatie (29909)

237 positive in Bluffton (29910)

One positive on Daufuskie Island (29915)

42 positive on St. Helena Island (29920)

133 positive on Hilton Head Island (29926)

54 positive on Hilton Head (29928)

14 positive in Port Royal (29935)

33 positive in Ridgeland (29936)

49 positive in Hardeeville (29927)

Six positive in Seabrook (29940)

One positive in Sheldon (29941)

22 positive in Yemassee (29945)

Beaufort County could have as many as 5,596 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.

This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 2:49 PM.