Only 16 coronavirus cases announced in Beaufort Co. Tuesday; no deaths
Only 16 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Beaufort County on Tuesday, state health officials said.
That’s the lowest number of new infections announced in a single day since early June. A probable COVID-19 case was also recorded in the county Tuesday, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control..
The county’s seven-day average of new cases, meanwhile, was roughly 27 on Tuesday. That figure has trended downward this month following a record high on July 31.
As of Tuesday, the Bluffton ZIP code of 29910 continued to lead the county with 1,135 cases. The county has recorded 4,569 total cases this year.
South Carolina has identified 112,088 coronavirus cases in total since the pandemic began, DHEC data show. Statewide, 909 newly confirmed cases were identified Tuesday.
No new COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Beaufort County on Tuesday.
Sixty-four people in the county have died of COVID-19 this year, according to DHEC. That number includes 28 deaths recorded in July — the county’s deadliest month for the disease.
Fourteen deaths have been reported in August, data show.
The state has confirmed 2,408 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic. Eighteen of those deaths were reported Tuesday, including two middle-aged people from Aiken and Sumter counties. A third probable death of a middle-aged person from Darlington County was also reported. In total, there were 16 confirmed deaths of people described as elderly.
Just over 17% of the 5,226 non-antibody coronavirus test results reported statewide Monday were positive, DHEC said Tuesday.
At medical centers, about 5% of Beaufort County’s COVID-19 cases have resulted in hospitalization this year, according to DHEC data.
Some 77.2%, or 173, hospital beds in the county were occupied as of Saturday.
About 7,800 inpatient hospital beds of a total of about 10,100 beds statewide were occupied Tuesday. Just over 1,020 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, with 261 of those people in ICU beds.
Beaufort County could have as many as 26,304 undiagnosed cases, DHEC officials say. That data on estimated cases, though, did not seem to be updated Tuesday.
Positive cases are those in which a patient has been tested for and been diagnosed with the 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.
The state agency 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 a patient lives rather than where they died.
Coronavirus cases at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island are being reported in the 29902 ZIP code.
