50 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths reported in Beaufort County on Tuesday
Fifty new coronavirus infections were confirmed in Beaufort County on Tuesday, marking one of the highest single-day increases in local cases this fall. One probable case was also reported.
Fifty-three additional cases were recorded in Beaufort County on Saturday and Sept. 22, respectively.
No new deaths were announced in the county Tuesday.
The Lowcountry has recorded an uptick in disease spread this month, mirroring other spots around South Carolina.
The county’s seven-day average of new infections increased to roughly 38 as of Tuesday. In early October, that average had dropped into the low teens.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control previously warned of an outbreak in the Upstate. Coronavirus cases, though, are now rising across South Carolina, DHEC data show.
The Palmetto State, in total, has reported 1,000 new cases every day for two weeks.
Experts have warned S.C. residents to follow public health guidelines during the holiday season, fearing rapid transmission of the novel virus in poorly ventilated buildings.
The board of directors for Riverview Charter School in Port Royal, meanwhile, on Monday decided that the school will return to virtual-only classes next week due to “staffing concerns.”
Interim director Sarah Cox told parents Tuesday that she “cannot safely open the building with so many teachers out and very little substitute coverage.”
The school reported at least two COVID-19 cases among staff members last week, one of which led to the entire sixth grade — about 60 in-person students — quarantining through Thursday.
The school was the first in the Beaufort County School District to resume four full days of in-person instruction each week, beginning Oct. 26.
Cox told parents she plans to resume in-person instruction on Jan. 4, which will be the school’s first day back from winter break. It will also be the first day of five-day-a-week, in-person instruction for other schools in the district since a statewide school shutdown in March.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Sunday (most recent date that data is available): 244
Average percentage of positive viral tests in the past week, as of Sunday: 12.7%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 38.8
Total cases: 7,057 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 91 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week incidence rate as of Sunday: 253.5 cases per 100,000 people, “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, has 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 Sunday: 17.6%
New cases announced Tuesday: 1,297
Total cases: 205,004 confirmed
New deaths announced Tuesday: 13
Total deaths: 4,091 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 1,835 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,221 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 487 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 868 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 438 cases.
Coronavirus infections at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island are included 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.
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.
