COLUMBIA, S.C. — The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced Wednesday 528 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and 7 additional deaths.
This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 15,759 and those who have died to 575.
It's the latest day of an overall trend in an increase in cases, and that's concerning to the state's infectious disease expert, Dr. Linda Bell.
"Today I am more concerned about COVID-19 in South Carolina than I have ever been before," said Bell.
RELATED: 'I am more concerned about COVID-19 in South Carolina than I have ever been before,' expert says
Five of the deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Chesterfield (1), Florence (1), Greenville (2), and Spartanburg (1) counties, and 2 middle-aged individuals from Greenville (1) and Newberry (1) counties.
The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Aiken (2), Anderson (1), Barnwell (1), Beaufort (19), Berkeley (11), Charleston (37), Cherokee (2), Chesterfield (7), Clarendon (2), Colleton (9), Darlington (3), Dillon (1), Dorchester (7), Fairfield (3), Florence (3), Georgetown (8), Greenville (145), Greenwood (1), Horry (79), Kershaw (6), Lancaster (6), Laurens (4), Lee (2), Lexington (27), Marlboro (4), Newberry (1), Oconee (4), Orangeburg (4), Pickens (14), Richland (66), Spartanburg (11), Sumter (15), Williamsburg (1), York (22)
Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 Cases
The total number of individuals tested Tuesday statewide was 4,078 and the percent positive was 12.9%. 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.
Testing in South Carolina
As of Tuesday, a total of 261,377 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 time frame for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours.
90 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 says it is working with community partners to set up mobile testing clinics that bring testing to these communities.
Currently, there are 90 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.
Residents can also get tested at one of 173 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Visit scdhec.gov/covid19testing for more information.
Hospital Bed Occupancy
As of Wednesday morning, 2,809 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,608 are in use, which is a 73.03% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 7,608 inpatient beds currently used, 513 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
How South Carolinians Can Stop the Spread
DHEC says evidence is increasing about the high rates of infection in people who do not have symptoms and don’t know they are infectious. This places everyone at risk of getting the virus or unknowingly transmitting it to someone else.
Steps we can take to protect ourselves and others include:
- Practicing social distancing
- Wearing a mask in public
- Avoiding group gatherings
- Regularly washing your hands
- Staying home if sick
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.