COLUMBIA, S.C. – DHEC on Thursday announced 172 new cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths.
This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 8,189 and those who have died to 371.
Five of those deaths occurred in elderly individuals in Fairfield (2), Greenwood (1), Laurens (1), and Lexington (1) counties, and four of the deaths occurred in a middle-aged individual in Clarendon (2), Pickens (1) and Richland (1) counties.
The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Horry: 7 new (278 total)
Marion: 0 new (47 total)
Dillon: 9 new (113 total)
Marlboro: 7 new (67 total)
Darlington: 4 new (181 total)
Florence: 19 new (487 total)
Georgetown: 0 new (51 total)
New cases in other counties:
Aiken (4), Anderson (10), Beaufort (2), Berkeley (1), Charleston (2), Chesterfield (5), Colleton (9), Dorchester (1), Fairfield (12), Greenville (16), Greenwood (1), Hampton (1), Lancaster (3), Laurens (3), Lee (1), Lexington (9), Oconee (2), Orangeburg (2), Pickens (1), Richland (14), Saluda (2), Spartanburg (4), Sumter (5), Williamsburg (8), York (8)
Hospital Bed Capacity
As of this morning, 3,301 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,077 are in use, which is a 68.19% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 7,077 inpatient beds currently used, 443 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
Testing in South Carolina
As of May 13, DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory has conducted 23,192 tests for COVID-19. Of these tests, 2,905 were positive and 20,287 were negative. A total of 102,535 total tests by both DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory and private labs have been conducted in the state. 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.
DHEC, Kroger Health and Harris Teeter to Offer Free COVID-19 Drive-Thru
For mobile testing clinics around the state, visit DHEC’s mobile testing clinic webpage. We update this page regularly as new testing clinics are confirmed.
DHEC Launches Radio PSA on How to Appropriately Wear a Mask or Face Covering
DHEC launched a new radio public service announcement (PSA) today to help raise awareness about the appropriate way to wear a mask or face covering. A link to the PSA is available here.
To help protect against COVID-19, DHEC encourages everyone to wear a mask covering whenever in public. When wearing a mask, South Carolinians should:
- Make sure you can breathe through it
- Wear it whenever going out in public
- Make sure it covers your nose and mouth
- Wash your hands before taking it on or off
- Wash after using
You should not:
- Use on children under age 2
- Touch the front of the mask
- Use surgical masks needed by healthcare workers
