2 COVID-19 deaths, 54 new cases announced in Beaufort County on Tuesday
Two new coronavirus deaths were confirmed in Beaufort County on Tuesday.
One person described as middle-aged, or 35 to 64 years old, died on Sunday, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Another person died on Dec. 25 after contracting the novel coronavirus, state officials said Tuesday.
DHEC also recorded 54 new COVID-19 cases in the county Tuesday. One probable infection was logged.
The area reported a surge of cases throughout December and January, mirroring other spots around South Carolina and the rest of the country. Hundreds of cases were recorded every 24 hours, shattering the previous single-day record on Jan. 8. Deaths quickly mounted.
The seven-day average of new cases, though, has dropped in recent days. It was 92.2 as of Tuesday. The average had hit roughly 113 on Jan. 14.
Jasper County, meanwhile, reported seven new coronavirus infections, one probable case and no deaths Tuesday.
Vaccines are also slowly being distributed to local health care workers, seniors and residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
The Beaufort County School District, meanwhile, began its spring semester Tuesday, bringing more students into the building for five days a week of in-person instruction.
Students and parents were given the option to change their registrations from virtual to in-person or vice versa for the spring semester in November, before the district reported a surge of COVID-19 cases and quarantines over the holidays and at the start of full-time, in-person classes.
As of Jan. 4, the district had 65.3% of students attending classes face to face, and 34.7% attending remotely. On Tuesday, that in-person percentage was expected to increase to 70.4% of students, about a 10% swing, district spokesperson Candace Bruder said at the time.
The district also reported last week’s quarantine totals on Tuesday morning.
Between 1,340 and 1,412 district students and staff were in quarantine last week. That range is due to the district’s new reporting method for quarantines and COVID-19 cases, which reports small-scale outbreaks and quarantines as “<5” rather than a precise number.
Beaufort High School had the highest number of students quarantining with 112, followed by 90 at May River High School and 80 at River Ridge Academy.
Bruder said Tuesday that between Jan. 18 and Jan. 31, the district had 138 active COVID-19 cases: 117 among students and 21 among staff. The district has reported at least 700 cases since Sept. 28.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Sunday (the most recent date for which data is available): 789
Average percentage of positive tests in the past week, as of Sunday: 12.6%
DHEC on Tuesday announced that it was changing the way in which it calculates the percentage of positive tests. The state is now calculating the figure by dividing all positive tests by the total number of tests, then multiplying the resulting number by 100. It previously calculated that percentage by dividing the number of all people with positive results by the number of people “who had taken tests overall.”
“With the change, the public will notice a big drop in the number representing percent positive. That does not mean the level of spread in the community has decreased,” DHEC wrote in a Tuesday news release.
For context, the daily statewide percent positive reported on Monday was 21.5%. That percentage on Tuesday was 8.8%. DHEC said it made the change so its data could be more easily compared with information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among other entities.
Total cases: 12,688 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 147 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Sunday: 673 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 Sunday: 8.8%
New cases announced Tuesday: 1,554
Total cases: 400,472 confirmed
New deaths announced Tuesday: 32
Total deaths: 6,599 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 3,644 cases in the past year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,926 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 957 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 1,678 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 959 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.
