54 new coronavirus cases reported Saturday in Beaufort Co., bringing total to 1,062
State health officials Saturday reported an additional 54 coronavirus cases in Beaufort County, the second highest single-day total since the pandemic began.
Since mid-March, the county has recorded 1,062 coronavirus cases, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data.
There have been 18 coronavirus-related deaths in the county, according to the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. There were no new COVID-19 deaths reported Saturday.
Three municipalities — Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and Beaufort — are considering emergency ordinances that would require people to wear masks inside some local businesses, although the specifics of each measure vary.
Beaufort’s draft ordinance is, so far, the most comprehensive, mandating masks be worn inside every building open to the public.
Hilton Head Island is hosting a free coronavirus testing event on Monday morning at Hilton Head High School, accessible to people without a doctor’s note or appointment.
DHEC announced 1,599 new confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide on Saturday, a new single-day record for the Palmetto State.
The agency said 15 more people had died after contracting the virus, and 2 other deaths were considered probable coronavirus cases. Statewide, there have been 707 confirmed conronavirus deaths and four probable ones since the pandemic began, DHEC data says.
Just over 900 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Saturday, DHEC said.
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.
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