32 new coronavirus cases, no deaths reported in Beaufort County on Monday
Thirty-two new coronavirus infections were reported in Beaufort County on Monday, three days after a record-breaking 126 cases were announced in the county Friday.
Monday’s case count was the lowest since Nov. 30, when 15 cases were logged.
No new deaths were recorded in the county Monday, but three probable infections were announced.
The Lowcountry has reported a surge of infections in December, mirroring other spots around South Carolina and the rest of the country.
Daily case counts in Beaufort County are regularly back to early-August levels, although Friday’s report shattered records from July. The county’s seven-day average of new infections was 71 as of Monday.
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.
Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed to some area hospital employees, but doses won’t be available to the general public until sometime in 2021.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital began to offer vaccines to staff Monday. Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina hospitals started to inoculate employees last week.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Saturday (most recent date that data is available): 167
Average percentage of positive viral tests in the past week, as of Saturday: 21.9%
Seven-day average of new cases in Beaufort County: 71
Total cases: 8,416 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 96 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Saturday: 518 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: 21.7%
New cases announced Monday: 2,121
Total cases: 255,210 confirmed
New deaths announced Monday: 21
Total deaths: 4,587 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 2,218 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,442 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 592 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 981 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 581 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.
