1 death, 12 new COVID-19 cases announced in Beaufort County on Monday
South Carolina officials reported one death and 12 new COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County on Monday.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported that the COVID-related death of an elderly individual occurred Sunday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4,761 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the county, and 67 have died after being infected, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
DHEC on Sunday also updated its recommendations for who should be tested, citing concerns about people with mild or no symptoms passing the virus to others.
“If you are out and about in the community or around others, participating in group events, or not able to socially distance or wear a mask, we recommend that you receive routine testing once a month or sooner if someone you’ve been around tests positive or if you develop symptoms,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC physician, said in a news release.
Beaufort County’s seven-day average of new daily cases increased slightly to 26.43 Monday, following the downward trend seen for most of the month of August.
Beaufort County hospitals have also reported a decline in the number of COVID-19 patients receiving treatment, The Island Packet reported.
Although COVID-19 restrictions are still in place through South Carolina, some private high schools, including Hilton Head Christian Academy, played their first football games Friday night.
There have been 118,992 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide since the pandemic began, DHEC data show. The health agency confirmed 651 additional cases on Monday and 12 new COVID-19-related deaths across the state.
The disease has resulted in 2,720 confirmed deaths statewide.
About 69.7% of Beaufort County’s hospital beds were occupied as of Monday. That number was higher in Jasper County at 80.5%.
Across South Carolina, 934 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday, with 247 in an intensive care unit, according to DHEC.
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 he or she died.
Coronavirus cases at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island are being reported in the 29902 ZIP code.