17 COVID-19 cases reported in Beaufort Co. Saturday as incidence rate remains ‘moderate’
Seventeen new coronavirus infections were confirmed in Beaufort County on Saturday, according to state health officials.
No additional deaths were announced.
On Friday, state officials released a plan detailing how the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control intends to distribute a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine whenever it’s available.
Because the supply of vaccines will be limited initially, front-line medical workers and nursing home residents will be prioritized, among other groups, DHEC said.
“COVID-19 vaccine supply is expected to increase substantially and be more widely available to the public in 2021,” DHEC said Friday.
Most Americans still likely won’t have access to a vaccine until the “late second quarter, third quarter of 2021,” director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield said last month.
Several vaccine candidates are currently in large-scale Phase 3 trials.
Starting Monday, Beaufort County School District’s hybrid students and staff will have their temperatures checked every day before entering school buildings.
If a student’s temperature is higher than 100.4 degrees, the student will be taken to the nurse for a preliminary health assessment. The schools aren’t accepting visitors, and any parents who have to come inside the school building will be screened and must have a temperature below 100.4 degrees.
The district has also published a COVID-19 dashboard that will be updated every weekday with coronavirus cases by school. The dashboard will include cases from only the last two weeks “since the typical quarantining period ranges from 10-14 days,” according to a district email sent to parents Thursday.
As of Friday, the district has reported one new COVID-19 case this week, five new cases last week and 20 new cases in total since Sept. 28, the week before hybrid classes began.
Since mid-August, Beaufort County has seen fewer daily cases. But some experts fear a possible surge of infections as cooler weather sets in, flu season begins and kids return to school for face-to-face instruction.
The University of South Carolina Beaufort, meanwhile, logged two new COVID-19 cases this week among students, faculty or staff, school data show.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Friday: 246
Average percent of positive viral tests in the past week: 3.8%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 12
Total cases: 5,888 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 86 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week incidence rate: 112.4 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.
Statewide numbers
Percent of positive non-antibody tests reported Friday: 11.4%
New cases announced Saturday: 810
Total cases: 156,655 confirmed
New deaths announced Saturday: 22
Total deaths: 3,427 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 1,466 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,138 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 365 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 693 cases, according to DHEC data.
Coronavirus infections at U.S. 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.
People who are active in the community or those who can’t effectively social distance or wear a mask should be tested for COVID-19 monthly, according to DHEC.
