35 new coronavirus cases reported in Beaufort County on Saturday; no new deaths
State health officials reported 35 new cases of coronavirus Saturday in Beaufort County and no additional deaths.
They reported 986 new cases throughout South Carolina, 22 new probable cases, 51 new deaths and 6 new probable deaths.
Sixty people in Beaufort County have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to data from S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. That number includes 28 deaths recorded in July — the county’s deadliest month for the disease.
Ten deaths have been reported so far in August in the county.
Jasper County on Saturday had 10 new confirmed cases and one new confirmed death, of a patient described as middle-aged.
South Carolina has had 2,156 confirmed deaths since the pandemic began. Of the 51 confirmed deaths Saturday, 40 are described by health officials as elderly and 11 as middle-aged.
DHEC identifies anyone under the age of 18 as pediatric; between the ages of 18 and 34 as a young adult; 35 to 64 as middle-aged; and 65 or older as elderly. No other identifying information, such as exact age or gender, is released by the agency.
South Carolina has recorded 104,874 cases of the novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
The Bluffton ZIP code of 29910 continued to lead the county with 1,076 reported cases.
Beaufort County’s seven-day average of new daily coronavirus cases was 41.2 as of Friday, the lowest average since June 29.
The highest average since the pandemic started was recorded on July 31 at 98.
The county’s lowest seven-day average for new cases was 0.8 on May 9.
The county showed a stable two-week incidence rate trend, meaning cases did not significantly increase or decrease from the previous two weeks.
Of the 6,012 tests reported to DHEC on Friday, 16.4 percent were positive, an increase of 1.4 percent from the day before.
Beaufort County hospitals were 67.4 percent occupied through Friday, with 92 of 282 beds available.
Cases by ZIP code
Beaufort County could have as many as 26,304 undiagnosed cases, DHEC officials say.
Positive cases are those in which a patient has been tested for and diagnosed with coronavirus. Because of a lack of access to testing, state health officials have said that for every confirmed case, up to nine people could be infected but have not been tested.
The total count includes anyone who has tested positive since the pandemic started. The data also includes those who have recovered or died.
DHEC’s totals can have small increases and decreases day to day as officials correct discrepancies in the data.
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 that people who die from the coronavirus might have had.
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 August 15, 2020 at 2:47 PM.
