NEWBERRY, S.C. — Citing the rise in positive COVID-19 cases and record-setting numbers of hospitalizations, Newberry County Memorial Hospital has cancelled visiting hours for patients.
Not long after South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) released its daily report of coronavirus data, Newberry Hospital announced it "will not allow any visitors until further notice."
As per the hospital, a patient can have one person designated as the point of contact to receive health updates provided by a staff member or physician.
The hospital also warns people and potential patients that there is a high volume of COVID-19 patients coming through the Emergency Department and to expect "extended wait times and possible exposure to COVID-19."
According to DHEC, the state set a daily record high on Tuesday, Jan. 12, with 2,453 reported hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Of those new COVID-19 patients, 485 are in intensive care units and 270 are on ventilators. Of the 13,355 total hospital bed in the state of South Carolina, 11,230 are designated as inpatient beds. Of those 11,230 beds, 9,083 are occupied.