The surge is ending: Beaufort Co.’s COVID-19 cases continue to plummet. What to know
Beaufort County’s surge of delta variant infections is ending.
It’s welcome news for the Lowcountry. The super-contagious coronavirus strain has battered the region since mid-July.
The question now is whether delta, or a different variant, will spark another wave of cases this winter after Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Medical University of South Carolina, as of Thursday, estimated that 70% of Beaufort County’s population had some level of immunity against COVID-19.
And the county’s seven-day average of newly confirmed cases, as of Tuesday, had dropped to roughly 34 infections per day.
In comparison, the county was recording an average of 141 cases per day on Aug. 28.
But if this summer proved anything, it’s that SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, is adept at finding unvaccinated, vulnerable people to infect.
What will that mean for the holiday season?
Following a devastating two-month period with almost 70 COVID-19 deaths in Beaufort County, and given South Carolina’s lagging vaccination rate, that’s the crucial question for public health officials.
When recently asked about the potential for a winter surge, Dr. Jane Kelly, assistant state epidemiologist, demurred.
“Well, of course it’s difficult to say,” Kelly told reporters, “but until we have more people vaccinated, South Carolina is still at high risk of continued high numbers of new cases.”
Countywide data
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:
New cases reported Tuesday: 30 confirmed, 1 probable
New cases reported Monday: 13 confirmed, 7 probable
New cases reported Sunday: 43 confirmed, 13 probable
New cases reported Saturday: 54 confirmed, 20 probable
New deaths reported from Saturday to Tuesday: 0
Seven-day average of new cases: 34 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 546 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 49.9% of county residents have been fully vaccinated
ZIP code data since July 1
Bluffton ZIP code, 29910: 2,502 cases
Hilton Head Island ZIP code, 29926: 988 cases
Hilton Head ZIP code, 29928: 388
Beaufort ZIP code, 29902: 1,169
Okatie ZIP code, 29909: 642
St. Helena Island ZIP code, 29920: 391
