65 new COVID cases, no new deaths reported in Beaufort Co. Wednesday
State health officials on Wednesday reported 65 new COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County.
No new deaths were announced.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials also announced Wednesday that the state had received 42,900 total Pfizer vaccines and that their first allocation of vaccines from the federal government was complete. DHEC said it expects to get more vaccines next week and anticipate receiving between 200,000 and 300,000 doses by year’s end.
The announcement came just hours after Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina hospitals received their first shipment of Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. Daisy Burroughs, a spokesperson for Tenet Healthcare, which owns the two hospitals, confirmed they would begin vaccinating employees later Wednesday, but did not immediately know how many doses there were.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital had not received doses as of early Wednesday, spokesperson Courtney McDermott said. Other hospitals around the state, including the Medical University of South Carolina, Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center, have started inoculating staff.
The Lowcountry 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. The county’s seven-day average of new infections dropped slightly from 75.4 Tuesday to 75 Wednesday, still one of the highest averages since the summer.
In early October, that average had dropped into the low teens.
Coronavirus cases are now 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 reported 6 new cases and no deaths Wednesday.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Monday (most recent date that data is available): 204
Average percentage of positive viral tests in the past week, as of Monday: 20.6%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 75
Total cases: 8,045 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 94 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Sunday: 487 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 Monday: 20.6%
New cases announced Tuesday: 2,424
Total cases: 241,471 confirmed
New deaths announced Wednesday: 42
Total deaths: 4,444 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 2,102 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,393 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 561 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 954 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 539 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.
