One age range in Beaufort Co. has just 2.9% of COVID-19 cases, but makes up 43% of deaths
Only 2.9% of coronavirus cases in Beaufort County have been confirmed among residents 81 or older, according to state data released Wednesday.
Almost 43% of the county’s COVID-19 deaths, however, have been recorded in that age group, with 24 fatalities.
This stark disparity, which has not previously been reported, is detailed in new county-level coronavirus data first made available by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Aug. 11.
Beaufort County has logged 58 COVID-19 deaths and 4,214 coronavirus cases since March, according to the Wednesday data.
In total, 19.3% of the county’s cases have been young people between the ages of 11 and 20. And almost 23% of the cases were identified in the 21-30 age range as of Wednesday, the data show.
Those age groups, meanwhile, had no death data available. DHEC doesn’t publish the number of deaths per age range in a county if there are less than five.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette previously reported that young people drove the county’s surge of coronavirus infections after Memorial Day weekend.
In June, 25.2% of new cases in the county — 225 of almost 900 total — were recorded among 21- to 30-year-olds.
Those between 11 to 20, meanwhile, accounted for 200 cases in June, or 22.4% of confirmed infections in the county — the second-highest percentage at the time.
“They perceive that they’re more safe,” said Dr. Kathleen Cartmell, a public health professor at Clemson University, of young people. “That’s why we’re seeing a lot more cases.”
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, citing a statewide spike in cases among younger people, on July 10 restricted the sale of alcohol at restaurants and bars after 11 p.m.
“We know that young adults who are rapidly contracting the virus and spreading it into our communities frequently congregate in late-night atmospheres which simply are not conducive to stopping its continued transmission,” McMaster said.
Most COVID-19 deaths statewide, though, like in Beaufort County, have been reported among those 71 or older, DHEC data show.
That’s likely because, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, taking into consideration natural physiological changes and decreased immune function.
Clusters of COVID-19 deaths have also been reported at nursing homes both in South Carolina and across the United States. In an online post last updated July 30, The New York Times found that over 40% of all U.S. coronavirus deaths had been linked to nursing homes.
As of Wednesday, CDC data show that about 31.9% of COVID-19 deaths in the country were among people 85 or older.
