COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina saw a steep drop in coronavirus cases Tuesday, putting the mark for daily cases below 1,000 for the first time in over two weeks. But the number of hospitalizations, however, set a new all-time high.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) Monday announced 934 new confirmed cases and 19 additional confirmed deaths. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 47,214, probable cases to 138, confirmed deaths to 838, and 8 probable deaths.
The new case total is 571 fewer than the day before. There's never been a day where the number of new cases dropped by several hundred. The 934 cases is also the first time the number of cases has been below 1,000 since June 22.
A big driver in the drop was the plunge in Charleston County, which went from 326 cases reported Monday to 82 cases reported Tuesday.
Graphic: A look at the graph of the daily coroanvirus cases since March. The orange highlight shows the drop seen on July 6, 2020.
There are currently 1,324 hospital beds occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19. That, however, is an all-time high since the pandemic began.
Seventeen of the confirmed deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Abbeville (1), Aiken (1), Anderson (3), Charleston (5), Cherokee (1), Greenville (3), Marion (1), and Richland (2) counties, and two of the deaths occurred in middle-aged individuals from Charleston (1) and Richland (1) counties.
The number of new confirmed cases by county are listed below.
Abbeville (1), Aiken (15), Anderson (21), Bamberg (3), Barnwell (2), Beaufort (105), Berkeley (34), Calhoun (2), Charleston (82), Cherokee (15), Chester (3), Chesterfield (4), Clarendon (5), Colleton (16), Darlington (6), Dillon (6), Dorchester (32), Edgefield (1), Fairfield (4), Florence (11), Georgetown (22), Greenville (55), Greenwood (4), Hampton (1), Horry (109), Jasper (20), Kershaw (11), Lancaster (2), Laurens (17), Lee (1), Lexington (53), Marion (2), Marlboro (1), Newberry (25), Oconee (15), Orangeburg (18), Pickens (5), Richland (80), Saluda (2), Spartanburg (51), Sumter (35), Union (4), Williamsburg (3), York (30)
Testing in South Carolina
As of Monday, a total of 488,221 tests have been conducted in the state. See a detailed breakdown of tests in South Carolina on the Data and Projections webpage. DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory is operating extended hours and is testing specimens seven days a week, and the Public Health Laboratory’s current timeframe for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours, although a recent increase in testing may lead to a delay of one to two days.
Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 Cases
The total number of individuals tested Monday statewide was 4,521 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 20.7%.
Recovery Rate:
The current recovery rate in South Carolina is 89 percent, based on data through July 6.
Hospital Bed Occupancy
As of Tuesday morning, 2,871 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,734 are in use, which is a 72.93% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 7,734 inpatient beds currently used, 1,324 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
This graphic below shows the trend and increase in hospital bed use since June 1, 2020 in South Carolina. The orange shaded area shows the record high seen on July 6.
More than 80 Mobile Testing Clinics Scheduled Statewide
As part of our 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 80 mobile testing events scheduled through August 4 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 172 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Visit scdhec.gov/covid19testing for more information.
How South Carolinians Can Stop the Spread
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.
*As new information is provided to the department, some changes in cases may occur. Cases are reported based on the person’s county of residence, as it is provided to the department. DHEC’s COVID-19 map will adjust to reflect any reclassified cases.