44 new coronavirus cases, no deaths reported in Beaufort Co. as vaccine arrives in SC
Beaufort County on Monday recorded 44 new coronavirus infections as the first COVID-19 vaccine arrived in South Carolina.
No new deaths were announced in the county.
Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, which was approved for emergency use late Friday, was shipped to some medical centers around the state Monday. S.C. officials expect nearly 43,000 doses to be available in the state by Wednesday.
It’s unclear when hospitals will receive the vaccine in Beaufort and Jasper counties. A spokesperson for Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina hospitals early Monday said she did not have information about that timeline.
Russell Baxley, CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, in a statement Monday wrote that the hospital would get doses “soon,” but would “not disclose details about shipping schedules.”
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has refused to name providers in its vaccine distribution network or the exact locations of initial vaccine sites. Some hospitals have opted to confirm those details themselves.
A Medical University of South Carolina spokesperson on Monday said MUSC requested 4,875 doses and was planning to receive about that many. The Pfizer vaccine hadn’t arrived at MUSC by 11 a.m. Monday, she said, but was expected soon.
The Lowcountry, meanwhile, has reported an uptick in disease spread this month, mirroring other spots around South Carolina.
Daily case counts in Beaufort County are regularly back to early August levels, although Sunday’s report was similar to the infection numbers in July. The county’s seven-day average of new infections was 72.7 as of Monday, marking one of the highest averages since the summer.
In early October, that average had dropped into the low teens.
Coronavirus cases are rising across the entire Palmetto State, DHEC data show.
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.
Jasper County also reported 10 new cases and no fatalities Monday.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Saturday (most recent date that data is available): 241
Average percentage of positive viral tests in the past week, as of Saturday: 18.8%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 72.7
Total cases: 7,922 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 94 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Saturday: 474 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 Saturday: 20.3%
New cases announced Monday: 2,364
Total cases: 236,785 confirmed
New deaths announced Monday: 11
Total deaths: 4,398 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 2,069 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,368 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 551 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 948 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 532 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.
