Coosa Elementary reports new faculty COVID-19 case; DHEC details July Beaufort Co. death
A COVID-19 death from July was confirmed in Beaufort County on Tuesday.
A person described as elderly died July 16 after contracting the coronavirus, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The reporting of coronavirus fatalities is sometimes delayed as medical certifiers or coroners work to determine a cause of death, DHEC has said.
One new COVID-19 case tied to Beaufort County’s schools was also reported Tuesday. A faculty member at Coosa Elementary School tested positive for the disease.
Candace Bruder, a Beaufort County School District spokeswoman, said four people who had close contact with the faculty member at Coosa Elementary — meaning they were within six feet of the person for at least 15 minutes — were notified “out of an abundance of caution.”
As of Tuesday, five public and private schools in Beaufort County have reported COVID-19 cases among students and staff regularly visiting campuses.
St. Gregory the Great Catholic School has recorded one faculty COVID-19 case and two student cases. Hilton Head Christian Academy has confirmed one student case.
Hilton Head Island High School has reported one contract employee case, while May River High School has identified one student case and one staff case.
Both St. Gregory and Hilton Head Christian are holding in-person classes, while Beaufort County’s public schools began online-only instruction on Sept. 8.
Since mid-August, the county has seen fewer daily cases. Forty-two new infections were confirmed in the county Tuesday, for example.
But the number of COVID-19 tests conducted in the area has also dropped. And some experts fear a possible surge of cases this fall as schools resume in-person classes.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Monday: 241
Percent of positive viral tests in the past week: 15.6%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 22.5
Total cases: 5,227 confirmed
Total deaths: 74 confirmed
Two-week incidence rate: 210.8 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 Monday: 15.7%
New cases announced Tuesday: 701
Total cases: 130,917 confirmed
New deaths announced Tuesday: 22
Total deaths: 2,943 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 1,262 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,020 cases since March, the second-highest in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 323 cases. The 29926 ZIP code covering the north side has 625 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.
“Recently, our (case) numbers have been slowly trending downward,” said Dr. Linda Bell, the state’s top epidemiologist, late last month. “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.
