Beaufort County passes 1,000 coronavirus cases Friday as towns discuss mask rules
Beaufort County now has more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus, according to data released Friday by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
DHEC reported 30 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the overall county total to 1,008.
No new deaths were announced in the county Friday. Three deaths were reported earlier this week. Eighteen county residents have died since the pandemic began.
One COVID-19 related death was confirmed Friday in the state.
The Bluffton ZIP code of 29910 had the most county cases with 268, a 14-case increase from Thursday.
South Carolina has recorded a total of 30,263 cases of the novel coronavirus and 694 deaths overall since the pandemic began.
As the number of cases continues to grow, some municipalities are considering ordinances on face masks.
Hilton Head and Bluffton’s town councils will both discuss new rules requiring public-facing employees and customers to wear masks next week. Hilton Head will consider a mask ordinance Monday and Bluffton will consider one Tuesday.
Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling on Friday said a draft mask ordinance is being reviewed by the city attorney and council members, and that he hoped to discuss it in a public meeting Monday or Tuesday.
Both Hilton Head and Bluffton’s proposed ordinances would make masks mandatory for everyone in a grocery store or pharmacy, but only mandatory for employees at other establishments such as restaurants and bars.
Anyone who violates the Hilton Head Island ordinance, if passed, would be guilty of a misdemeanor. Those are punishable by a fine of up to $500 or 30 days in jail.
In Bluffton, violators would be fined no more than $50.
Beaufort County’s seven-day average of new coronavirus cases was the highest Wednesday at 40.
That average was 37 on Friday.
The county’s lowest seven-day average for new cases was zero on May 9.
About 75% of hospital beds statewide were in use Friday.
About 906 of the 7,885 beds in use were occupied by patients who either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
DHEC data shows 74% of the beds in Beaufort County, and 57% in Jasper County, were in use.
DHEC does not provide a county-by-county breakdown of how hospital beds are being used.
Cases by ZIP code
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 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.