SC DHEC starts week with less than 500 coronavirus daily cases reported
Cases of the coronavirus in South Carolina continued a recent downward trend on Monday.
S.C. public health officials announced only 451 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, plus eight suspected cases that have not yet been confirmed.
That’s the lowest daily total and the first time new cases have dropped below 500 since June 9, when 434 new cases were registered by the S.C. Department of Health and Enivronmental Control. Twenty new deaths from coronavirus were also reported on Monday.
The latest figures bring the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Carolina to 105,905, and confirmed deaths to 2,185.
The latest numbers continue a trend of lower figures in the state. Only one day in the past week have officials reported more than 1,000 new cases. Before Monday, the lowest total in two months was on Sunday, when 537 cases were reported.
Which counties were affected?
Florence County reported the highest number of new cases on Monday with 39, followed by Charleston County’s 35 and 34 each for Richland and York counties.
In the Midlands, Lexington County reported 17 new cases, Orangeburg County had 18, Sumter County had 12, and Kershaw County had 6. Calhoun and Fairfield counties both reported 2 each.
Richland County reported two additional deaths on Monday, bringing the county’s total to 167. Other counties reporting deaths were Berkeley (1), Clarendon (2), Florence (1), Georgetown (1), Greenville (2), Hampton (2), Kershaw (2), Lexington (1), Newberry (1), Orangeburg (1), Pickens (1), Spartanburg (1), Sumter (1), Williamsburg (1).
Most death cases were classified as elderly, except for three middle-aged people in Clarendon, Kershaw and Williamsburg, and one young adult in Kershaw.
Are all cases accounted for?
On Sunday, state health officials said 3,930 people were tested, with a positive rate of 11.5%. That number does not include tests for antibodies, which can indicate if someone has previously had the disease.
State health officials have estimated that up to 86% of South Carolinians who contract the virus don’t get tested.
“Testing for COVID-19 is essential because it helps identify people who are infected with the virus, whether or not they have symptoms, so they can isolate themselves and keep those around them from becoming infected, especially at-risk individuals who can develop life-threatening illness if they contract the virus,” DHEC said in a statement on Monday.
Currently, DHEC has 128 mobile testing events scheduled through October 13.
DHEC has also been recording probable cases and probable deaths. A probable case is someone who has not received lab test results but has virus symptoms or a positive antibody test. A probable death is someone who has not gotten a lab test but whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death or a contributing factor.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Monday, the state estimated that 14% of patients in South Carolina hospitals have coronavirus, including 26% of patients in intensive care and 16% of patients on ventilators.
In all, 76% of in-patient beds are occupied in S.C. hospitals, including 75% of beds in intensive care units.
The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized at one time peaked at more than 1,700 on July 23, and the state has seen small decreases in those daily numbers since. On Monday, 1,101 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms.
Some data since late July was unavailable, though, because DHEC is transitioning to a new tracking system, which would give more precise information about COVID-19-related hospital conditions.
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Two weeks ago, case counts per day ranged between 1,105 to 1,295. Last week, the case count only rose above 1,000 once, on Friday, although health officials warn that may be because of lower rates of testing.
On Saturday, 16.5% of tests reported turned up positive, which officials have said is high, but a decline from July when the percentage hovered around 20%.
“It’s possible that less cases have been identified due a recent decrease in overall testing. Testing for COVID-19 continues to be absolutely essential because it helps us identify people who are infected with the virus, whether they have symptoms or not,” DHEC’s Dr. Brannon Traxler said on Monday.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about the current downward trend. We need to also see the percent positive decrease to lower than it is.”
Nationally, about 8.7% of tests turn up positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization suggests that the percent of positive tests should be below 5% before countries consider reopening.
In all, 935,969 tests have been completed in South Carolina since March.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 3:52 PM with the headline "SC DHEC starts week with less than 500 coronavirus daily cases reported."
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