15 new coronavirus cases, no deaths reported in Beaufort County on Saturday
On Saturday, state health officials reported 15 new COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County.
No additional deaths were announced in the county.
The case update from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control comes after several days of artificially low daily case counts because of adjustments to an agency database that tracks test results. The technical update to the database did not impact patient notification of results but delayed reporting from Sept. 24 to Oct. 2, DHEC said.
The agency plans to provide a detailed breakdown of the delayed test results over that period, it said in Saturday’s news release. That report has not yet been released.
The high statewide percent positive for test results reported Friday, 32.6%, is the result of the reporting delays, DHEC said.
Beaufort County’s seven-day average of daily reported COVID-19 cases continued to decline Saturday, reaching its lowest level since early June.
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 face-to-face instruction.
The Beaufort County School District plans to begin in-person classes starting Monday.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Thursday (most recent day available): 79
Average percent of positive viral tests in the past week: 8.6%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 14.4
Total cases: 5,686 confirmed
Total deaths: 80 confirmed
Two-week incidence rate: 150.4 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 reported Friday: 32.6% (DHEC said this high percent positive is the result of delayed test results the agency is processing.)
New cases announced Saturday: 649
Total cases: 145,953 confirmed
New deaths announced Saturday: 31
Total deaths: 3,243 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 1,397 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,105 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 348 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 664 cases, according to DHEC.
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, 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.
