Beaufort County logs 240 COVID cases, 3 deaths in days around Christmas
Between Dec. 22 and Monday, Beaufort County logged 240 new COVID-19 cases and 54 probable infections, along with 3 confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
The county has a seven-day average of 38 new confirmed COVID cases per day — that’s double what it was a week ago.
According to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, it’s normal to see a drop in cases around the holidays because fewer people are getting tested. The department releases data on a two-day delay, meaning the county could see an even more dramatic uptick in cases as people get tested after Christmas.
Across the state, nearly 24% of people getting tested for COVID are testing positive; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said 5% or lower means there is a low level of community spread.
South Carolina as a whole recorded 10,694 confirmed cases, 4,664 probable cases, five confirmed deaths and two probable deaths.
Jasper County recorded 19 confirmed cases, five probable infections and no deaths in the same time span.
State officials have expressed concern about the omicron variant of the virus.
“Looking at what omicron has done in other places, like in the United Kingdom ... we certainly could see a significant increase in cases,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, the state’s director of public health, during a Dec. 15 briefing with reporters.
ZIP code data
Bluffton’s ZIP code of 29910 continues to lead the county in COVID infections with 7,864 coronavirus cases reported since March 2020. Beaufort’s 29902 ZIP code has recorded 3,820 cases since March 2020, which is the second-highest figure in the county.
Hilton Head Island’s 29928 ZIP code, covering the southeastern part of the island, has 1,778 cases. The 29926 ZIP code on the north side has 3,285 cases, according to DHEC data.
Okatie’s 29909 ZIP code has reported 2,094 cases.
As of Dec. 19, DHEC reported that 47.9% of Beaufort County residents are fully vaccinated.
