17 coronavirus cases confirmed in Beaufort Co. Wednesday; no new deaths
Only 17 new coronavirus infections were confirmed in Beaufort County on Wednesday.
No new deaths were announced.
Since mid-August, the county has seen fewer daily cases.
DHEC on Monday also reclassified the county as having “medium” recent disease activity.
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.
“Every day I’m waiting for the shoe to drop,” said Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious disease specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina, last month. “Are we in the eye of a hurricane?”
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Tuesday: 121
Percent of positive viral tests in the past week: 12.9%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 23.7
Total cases: 5,245 confirmed
Total deaths: 74 confirmed
Two-week incidence rate: 210.3 cases per 100,000 people, “moderately high”
An incidence rate measures how quickly a disease is spreading through a given population.
Curry, the infectious disease specialist, 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 Tuesday: 13.5%
New cases announced Wednesday: 489
Total cases: 131,428 confirmed
New deaths announced Wednesday: 28
Total deaths: 2,968 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 1,264 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,025 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 324 cases. The 29926 ZIP code covering the north side has 624 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 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.
