37 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths announced in Beaufort County on Tuesday
Thirty-seven new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Beaufort County on Tuesday, as the Lowcountry continued to report a decline in the number of newly confirmed daily infections after its holiday surge.
No new deaths were announced in the county.
The area reported a wave 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 also quickly mounted.
The seven-day average of new cases, though, has dropped in recent days. It was 55.2 as of Tuesday. The average had hit roughly 113 on Jan. 14.
The holiday surge following Christmas and Thanksgiving is abating, but experts worry that new coronavirus strains that are highly transmissible could hamper recovery efforts, even as vaccines are slowly distributed to local health care workers, seniors and residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
The Beaufort County School District, meanwhile, between Jan. 25 and Feb. 7 reported 105 student cases and 20 staff cases of COVID-19, spokesperson Candace Bruder said Tuesday. That means the district has surpassed 800 coronavirus cases recorded since Sept. 28.
Between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5, the district had 1,000 students quarantining, and between 54 and 111 staff quarantining.
The number of staff and students quarantining has steadily dropped since the district began releasing weekly quarantine data on Jan. 25.
Between Jan. 16 and Jan. 22, more than 1,600 district students and staff were quarantining. From Jan. 23 to Jan. 29, it was between 1,340 and 1,412. The decrease has been mostly among students, while staff quarantine numbers have remained steady.
Vaccine data
Beaufort Memorial Hospital as of Monday had utilized 110% of 7,910 first Pfizer-BioNTech doses received. That’s because some Pfizer vials have contained six or even seven doses, but DHEC calculates its utilization rates based on the assumption that each vial contains five doses, which was the original expectation late last year. The hospital has used 37% of 5,000 second doses.
Hilton Head Hospital had utilized 160% of 2,225 first doses. The hospital also had used 92% of 1,225 second doses as of Monday.
Coastal Carolina Hospital as of Monday had used 134% of 2,805 first doses. The hospital had utilized 84% of 1,425 second doses.
Pfizer’s vaccine uses a recommended two-dose regimen. The second shot is scheduled three weeks after the first.
Local numbers
Viral test results reported Sunday (the most recent date for which data is available): 555
Average percentage of positive tests in the past week, as of Sunday: 11.1%
Total cases: 13,281 confirmed, according to DHEC
Total deaths: 151 confirmed, according to DHEC
Two-week cumulative incidence rate as of Sunday: 546 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: 10.10%
New cases announced Tuesday: 1,372
Total cases: 416,073 confirmed
New deaths announced Tuesday: 4
Total deaths: 6,885 confirmed
Cases by ZIP code
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county with 3,842 cases in the past year. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code, meanwhile, has recorded 1,968 cases since last March, the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head Island’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 1,024 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 1,786 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code, which includes Sun City Hilton Head, has reported 1,028 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.
