More than 100 new COVID cases confirmed in Beaufort County on Saturday; No deaths
More than 100 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Beaufort County on Saturday as 1,500 people received their first vaccinations at a locally planned drive-thru event.
State health officials recorded 108 new cases and two probably cases in the county on Saturday. No new deaths were reported.
The area reported a surge of cases throughout December and the beginning of January, mirroring other spots around South Carolina and the rest of the country.
The local outbreak has recently been at its worst point since last March. Hundreds of cases were recorded earlier this month, shattering the previous single-day record on Jan. 8. Deaths are still quickly mounting, in comparison to last fall. And the county’s seven-day average of new cases was 89 as of Saturday.
Jasper County, meanwhile, reported 16 new coronavirus infections Saturday and confirmed one COVID death of an elderly person occurred Thursday.
Vaccines are also slowly being distributed to local health care workers, seniors and residents and staff at long-term care facilities. Drive-thru vaccination events have also been held in Beaufort County, including on Saturday, where 1,500 people received their first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the Okatie Medical Pavilion.
Vaccine data
Beaufort Memorial Hospital as of Thursday had utilized 101% of 4,850 first Pfizer-BioNTech doses received. That’s because some Pfizer vials have contained six or even seven doses, as opposed to only five. The hospital has used 45% of 2,075 second doses.
Hilton Head Hospital had utilized 136% of 1,925 first doses. The hospital also had used 83% of 475 second doses as of Thursday.
Coastal Carolina Hospital as of Thursday had used 99% of 2,755 first doses. The hospital had utilized 77% of 225 second doses.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Thursday (the most recent date for which data is available): 592
Average percentage of positive tests in the past week, as of Thursday: 18.2%
Total cases: 12,436 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 139 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Wednesday: 720.9 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 Thursday: 24.8%
New cases announced Saturday: 2,966
Total cases: 394,153 confirmed
New deaths announced Saturday: 65
Total deaths: 6,336 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 3,594 cases in the past year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,902 cases since March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head Island’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 933 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 1,619 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 928 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.
