Who got hit hardest during Beaufort Co.’s delta surge? Here’s a look at the data
Children, teenagers and young adults accounted for roughly 50% of all COVID-19 cases in Beaufort County during the Lowcountry’s delta variant surge, according to an analysis of state data.
Kids under the age of 10 made up almost 11% of infections. Teenagers aged 11 to 20, meanwhile, represented 22% of cases.
People 61 or older made up only 13.9% of cases.
That’s according to data collected between July 1 and Wednesday.
What other groups got hit hard?
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, as of Friday, reported that the race of individuals infected in Beaufort County was “under investigation” in 23.3% of cases and unknown in 10% of cases.
The ethnicity of those infected was unknown in 31.7% of cases.
That makes it difficult to analyze DHEC’s racial and ethnic case data.
It’s clear, though, that Bluffton was the epicenter of cases, at least when looking at the total number of infections and not case rates adjusted by population.
DHEC releases aggregate data based on ZIP codes, but the U.S. Census Bureau does not compile population numbers based on ZIP codes. The federal agency instead uses census tracts or ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, or ZCTAs.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette have subsequently been unable to compile case rates at the ZIP code level. DHEC publishes county-level case rates; The New York Times does as well.
Regardless, Bluffton has seen the highest total number of cases since July 1, which isn’t necessarily a surprise given that the town is a population center south of the Broad River.
There have been 2,539 infections in Bluffton’s 29910 ZIP code since the beginning of July, DHEC data show. The second-highest ZIP code case count has been recorded in the 29906 ZIP code near Beaufort. That ZIP code has seen 1,454 infections.
The third-highest case count has been in Beaufort, though DHEC includes data from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in the city’s infection numbers.
The 29902 ZIP code has accounted for 1,213 cases.
What about breakthrough infections?
DHEC does not release county-level data on such cases, which occur among fully vaccinated people. The agency also does not publish the exact ages or vaccination statuses of COVID-19 victims at the patient level.
Local hospitals, however, have noted that most residents recently admitted with COVID-19 have been unvaccinated. And only about 0.04% of fully vaccinated people statewide have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus, according to DHEC.
What’s happening in schools?
The Beaufort County School District has seen a sharp decline in new COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks, district officials said at Thursday’s school board meeting.
The board met to discuss whether BCSD should implement a mask mandate for students and staff. The mandate was narrowly rejected in a 4-5-1 vote.
District risk manager Jenny Staton on Thursday said the district has recorded 1,341 COVID-19 cases this school year, with 1,216 among students and 125 among staff.
BCSD spokesperson Candace Bruder added that between Sept. 18 and Sept. 24, the district recorded 11 staff member infections, 69 student infections, 30 active staff quarantines and 1,224 active student quarantines.
That’s down from a peak of 230 infections and 2,888 active quarantines between Aug. 30 and Sept. 5.
At Thursday’s meeting, school board member William Smith also asked Superintendent Frank Rodriguez how many BCSD students and staff have died of COVID-19.
“I don’t think that’s a question I can answer here, because if I answer that question I could be violating someone’s privacy,” Rodriguez replied. “I would say to you I’m not aware of any student that we have lost to COVID.”
At least one district teacher — Terry Wisdom of Bluffton Middle School — has died of COVID-19 complications this school year.
Rodriguez during a Friday event added that he does not currently have plans to unilaterally implement a mask mandate in district schools.
“No, I think the school board spoke last night,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to monitor and keep an eye on our cases. ... I think what we’re doing is continuing to improve our mitigating strategies in schools.”
Those safety measures include hand sanitizer stations, social distancing, contact tracing and staggered lunch schedules, along with mandatory mask wearing on buses.
Countywide data
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from DHEC:
New cases reported Friday: 39 confirmed, 9 probable
New cases reported Thursday: 51 confirmed, 4 probable
New cases reported Wednesday: 43 confirmed, 17 probable
New deaths reported from Wednesday to Friday: 7 confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 32 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 481 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 50.1% of residents have been fully vaccinated
Immunity estimate as of Sept. 23: 70% of the county’s population has some level of immunity against COVID-19, according to the Medical University of South Carolina
ZIP code data since July 1
Bluffton ZIP code, 29910: 2,539 cases
Hilton Head Island ZIP code, 29926: 1,008 cases
Hilton Head ZIP code, 29928: 402 cases
Beaufort ZIP code, 29902: 1,213 cases
Okatie ZIP code, 29909: 657 cases
St. Helena Island ZIP code, 29920: 401 cases
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 2:15 PM.
