Beaufort Co. surpasses 100 COVID deaths Wednesday; 94 test positive
Beaufort County has lost 101 people to COVID-19 this year, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced Wednesday.
The state confirmed two additional deaths of elderly COVID-19 patients in Beaufort County. Both died Dec. 27. SCDHEC’s county-level COVID-19 dashboard also lists three probable COVID-19 deaths.
In addition, the county had 94 new COVID-19 cases confirmed Wednesday as the state’s top epidemiologist, Dr. Linda Bell, sounded the alarm on New Year’s Eve festivities as potential COVID-19 spreaders.
“I think it’s fair to say that many of us are looking forward to leaving 2020 — the year that has taken so much from so many of us — behind,” she said in a public statement. “But I join public health officials across the country and world in warning that New Year’s Eve celebrations could prove to be devastating. The safest way to celebrate, as it has been throughout this holiday season, is to stay home. In a year that has been full of sadness, loss and frustration, we can’t give up now. We must carry our vigilance into 2021.”
Bell also announced that the state’s vaccination percentage per doses received by the federal government is at 31% — several points higher than the national average of 19%.
Her announcement came after criticism from state lawmakers that the vaccine distribution was not happening quickly enough.
“We continue to successfully roll out our state’s carefully crafted statewide vaccination plan, and the number of Phase 1a individuals who can currently receive the vaccine is increasing each week,” Bell said.
The Lowcountry has recorded a surge of infections throughout December, mirroring other places around South Carolina and the rest of the country.
Daily case counts in Beaufort County are regularly back to early August levels, although Dec. 18’s report shattered records from July.
Coronavirus cases are rising across the entire Palmetto State, DHEC data show. And 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.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Monday (the most recent date for which data is available): 248
Average percentage of positive viral tests in the past week, as of Monday: 25.6%
Total cases: 9,101 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 101 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Monday: 542.9 cases per 100,000 people, a “high” rate under DHEC’s definition. 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 previously said counties should aim to have a two-week incidence rate of less than 50 new cases per 100,000 people.
Statewide numbers
Percentage of positive non-antibody tests reported Monday: 31.4%
New cases announced Wednesday: 2,323
Total cases: 280,024 confirmed
New deaths announced Wednesday: 42
Total deaths: 4,846 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 2,464 cases this year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,516 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 667 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 1,080 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 631 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.
