11 new coronavirus cases, 1 death reported in Beaufort County on Sunday
State health officials reported 11 more confirmed coronavirus cases in Beaufort County on Sunday and one more death due to COVID-19.
The person who died was 65 or older, and the death was from Sept. 6, according to an S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control release. Twenty-four deaths were reported statewide Sunday.
In Beaufort County, 74 deaths have now been attributed to COVID-19.
Since mid-August, the county has seen fewer daily cases. But the number of COVID-19 tests conducted in the area has also dropped. State health officials last week reclassified the county as having “high” recent disease activity.
As of Sunday, the seven-day average for new reported cases was the lowest since June 11.
Local numbers
- Number of viral and antibody test results reported Saturday: 319
- Percent of positive viral tests last week: 10.3%
- Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 16
- Two-week incidence rate: 200.4 cases per 100,000 people, “moderately high”
An incidence rate measures how quickly a disease is spreading through a given population.
Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious disease specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina, said counties should aim to have a two-week incidence rate of less than 50 new cases per 100,000 people.
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, has suggested that governments reopen only after the percentage of positive tests is below 5% for at least two weeks.
Statewide numbers
Percent of positive non-antibody tests reported Sunday: 9.4%
New cases announced Sunday: 515
Total cases: 129.484
New deaths announced Sunday: 24
Total deaths: 2,915
Experts fear a possible surge of new infections this fall as schools resume in-person classes. At the University of South Carolina, hundreds of students have already been diagnosed with COVID-19.
In Beaufort County, all 26 members of the USC Beaufort’s women’s soccer team had to quarantine after two members tested positive last month.
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 1,246 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,007 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head Island’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 320 cases. The 29926 ZIP code covering the north side has 623 cases, according to DHEC data.
Coronavirus infections at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island are being reported in the 29902 ZIP code.
More information on Beaufort County ZIP code data can be found at the following link. Click on it, then click on “Go to Cases,” then click on Beaufort County on the S.C. map: bit.ly/BeaufortCountyZIP
What are DHEC’s recommendations?
State health officials say residents should continue to practice social distancing and should wear a mask in public. DHEC says people out in the community who are unable to socially distance or wear a mask should get tested once a month. Such testing allows health officials to identify those who might be asymptomatic, the agency says.
“Recently, our (case) numbers have been slowly trending downward,” said Dr. Linda Bell, DHEC’s top epidemiologist, in late August. “For that to continue, we cannot let up.”
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow South Carolina’s coronavirus data is compiled
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s total COVID-19 case count includes anyone who has tested positive since the pandemic began. The data also include those who have recovered or died.
The state agency does not provide an overall, county-by-county number of cases versus the number of people who have recovered.
DHEC counts deaths based on where a patient lives rather than where they died.
