Beaufort Co. reports 1 new death, 90 confirmed COVID cases on Saturday
One COVID-19 death from two weeks ago was reported in Beaufort County on Saturday as state health officials grappled with a now-solved data issue that affected South Carolina’s coronavirus data all week.
A person described as elderly died on Jan. 1 after contracting the novel pathogen, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Statewide, 64 new COVID-19 deaths were confirmed Saturday.
DHEC also announced 90 new cases and one probable infection in Beaufort County on Saturday. The statewide data issue that stemmed from electronic test reporting resulted in missing cases this week, but was resolved on Saturday.
The Lowcountry has reported a surge of cases throughout December and January, mirroring other spots around South Carolina and the rest of the country.
The local outbreak is now at its worst point since March.
Hundreds of cases were recorded last week, shattering the previous single-day record on Jan. 8.
Deaths are quickly mounting in comparison to last fall. The county’s seven-day average of new cases was 87.4 as of Saturday.
Vaccine data
Beaufort Memorial Hospital on Friday reported that it had administered 261 new Pfizer-BioNTech shots, according to DHEC data. The hospital, which has received 2,750 Pfizer doses so far, had administered 85% of its supply as of Friday.
The hospital announced Friday night it would have to cancel 6,000 vaccination appointments because of a shortage of supplies. Beaufort Memorial ordered 2,000 doses of the vaccine for delivery early next week, but will only receive 450, according to a news release from the hospital.
Hilton Head Hospital also reported Friday that it had administered 212 new Pfizer shots, DHEC data show. The medical center, which has received 1,055 Pfizer doses so far, had administered 132% of its supply as of Friday. That’s because some vials have contained six to seven doses, rather than five.
Coastal Carolina Hospital on Friday said it had administered 291 new shots, according to DHEC. The hospital has received 970 Pfizer doses, accounting for a 141% utilization rate.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Wednesday (the most recent date for which data is available): 231
Average percentage of positive tests in the past week, as of Wednesday: 32%
Total cases: 10,885 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 119 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Wednesday: 732 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 Wednesday: 16.5%
New cases announced Saturday: 4,671
Total cases: 346,880 confirmed
New deaths announced Saturday: 64
Total deaths: 5,577 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 3,067 cases in the past year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,752 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has had 803 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north end has reported 1,330 total cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 791 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 happened with the software issue?
The internal database used by DHEC to track COVID-19 cases experienced software problems that caused incomplete case reporting for several days this week. The vendor fixed the problem Saturday morning.
South Carolina’s Infectious Disease and Outbreak Network (SCION) used by DHEC for disease surveillance is serviced by software company Conduent, and DHEC worked with the vendor to repair the software problem.
The majority of laboratories and facilities that report test results to DHEC do so by submitting an electronic lab reports, and the database issue was caused by slowdowns and delays in how SCION was able to process those electronically submitted results.
This software issue did not lose any data and there was no security breach, DHEC said in a news release.
COVID-19 death reporting was not impacted by this software error. It only affected case counts, according to a news release from 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.
