21 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Beaufort Co. on Monday. 10 deaths reported statewide
State health officials reported 21 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Beaufort County on Monday.
No new deaths were reported in the county due to COVID-19. Another 542 confirmed cases and 10 deaths were reported statewide.
Cases have been on the decline in the county, and DHEC has again classified the county as having a “medium” level of recent disease activity.
But the number of COVID-19 tests conducted in the area has also dropped. Some experts fear a possible surge of cases this fall as schools prepare to resume face-to-face classes.
The Beaufort County School District will return to in-person instruction using a hybrid-model starting next week. Several student athletes have already been quarantined because teammates tested positive for COVID-19.
Local numbers
- Number of viral test results reported Monday: 510
- Average percent of positive viral tests in the past week: 10.2%
- Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 20.14
- Two-week incidence rate: 182.2 cases per 100,000 people, “Moderate”
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 Saturday: 8.2%
- New cases announced Monday: 542
- Total cases: 142,449
- New deaths announced Monday: 10
- Total deaths: 3,154
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.
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 1,369 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,093 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 342 cases. The 29926 ZIP code covering the north side has 656 cases, according to DHEC data.
Coronavirus infections at U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, which is inside the Town of Port Royal, 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. Those who are out in the community regularly and around others or unable to wear a mask and social distance should be tested at least monthly, health officials say.
“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.
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 4:52 PM.
