COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Monday, The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 297 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and six additional deaths.
This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 12,148 and those who have died to 500.
All six deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Colleton (2), Fairfield (2), Horry (1), and Lexington (1) counties.
The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Abbeville (2), Aiken (9), Allendale (1), Anderson (2), Barnwell (2), Beaufort (4), Berkeley (2), Calhoun (1), Charleston (19), Cherokee (4), Chester (3), Chesterfield (4), Colleton (3), Darlington (4), Dillon (1), Dorchester (5), Fairfield (4), Florence (20), Georgetown (3), Greenville (73), Greenwood (5), Hampton (1), Horry (22), Kershaw (6), Lancaster (5), Laurens (1), Lee (2), Lexington (13), Marion (2), Marlboro (2), Oconee (4), Orangeburg (12), Pickens (6), Richland (13), Saluda (3), Spartanburg (20), Sumter (2), Williamsburg (2), York (10)
South Carolinians Encouraged to Act to Limit Spread of COVID-19
As restrictions are reduced by reopenings, DHEC reminds South Carolinians of the importance of practicing proper health and safety steps to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Health officials say they realize that what they are asking everyone to continue to do is not easy. But officials say continuing to practice social distancing, wear a mask while in public and limit close contacts is critical to controlling the spread of this virus, and ultimately, saving lives.
Testing in South Carolina
As of May 31, a total of 210,826 tests have been conducted in the state (by both DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory and private labs). DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory is operating extended hours and is testing specimens seven days a week. The Public Health Laboratory’s current timeframe for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours.
Over 100 Mobile Testing Clinics Scheduled Statewide
As part of the agency's ongoing efforts to increase testing in underserved and rural communities across the state, DHEC is working with community partners to set up mobile testing clinics that bring testing to these communities.
Currently, there are 104 mobile testing events scheduled through July 2 with new testing events added regularly. Find a mobile testing clinic event near you at scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.
Additionally, there are currently 162 permanent testing locations at health care facilities throughout the state. These testing sites can be found at scdhec.gov/covid19testing.
Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 Cases
As South Carolina increases testing, there will likely be more laboratory-confirmed cases. The total number of individuals tested yesterday statewide was 3,845 and the percent positive was 7.7%.
When the percent positive is low, it may indicate that more widespread testing is being performed and the percent positive may more accurately reflect how much disease is present in the community.
Hospital Bed Occupancy
As of this morning, 3,760 inpatient hospital beds are available and 6,610 are in use, which is a 63.74% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 6,610 inpatient beds currently used, 450 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
For the latest information related to COVID-19 visit scdhec.gov/COVID-19. Visit scdmh.net for stress, anxiety and mental health resources from the S.C. Department of Mental Health.
Visit scdmh.net for stress, anxiety and mental health resources from the S.C. Department of Mental Health.