COLUMBIA, S.C. — DHEC on Monday announced 127 new cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina and five additional deaths.
This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 3,439, and those who have died to 87.
All five additional deaths occurred in elderly individuals with underlying health conditions and were residents of Aiken (1), Beaufort (1), Greenville (2), and Kershaw (1) counties.
The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Aiken (1), Anderson (3), Berkeley (7), Charleston (12), Chester (1), Chesterfield (1), Clarendon (1), Colleton (1), Darlington (4), Dorchester (2), Fairfield (2), Florence (7), Greenville (7), Greenwood (1), Hampton (2), Horry (13), Jasper (1), Kershaw (2), Lancaster (1), Lee (2), Marlboro (1), Pickens (3), Richland (30), Saluda (1), Spartanburg (14), Sumter (4), Union (1), York (2).
DHEC Releases Updated Summary and Projections
DHEC today provided an updated summary regarding cases confirmed to date as well as projections through May 2. On March 6 the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in South Carolina. The projections currently indicate that South Carolina may see almost 2,000 new cases per week by early May. The total number of cases is estimated to grow to 8,677 confirmed cases on May 2.
DHEC’s COVID-19 webpage is updated daily with a map of positive cases as well as the most current recommendations for protecting against COVID-19.
Marion County lost one case from their total counts as the individuals were determined during case investigations to be residents of other counties and states.
Testing in South Carolina
As of April 12, DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory has conducted 10,554 tests for COVID-19. Of these tests, 1,242 positive and 9,312 were negative. A total of 32,764 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.
Cases by County and ZIP Code
DHEC’s interactive maps were updated to include the latest confirmed and estimated COVID-19 cases by county and ZIP code. The estimated cases represent possible cases based on evidence that for every known case of COVID-19, there could be up to 9 people with the virus who remain unidentified in the community. By including estimates, we hope to better convey the risk of disease spread within our communities.
Hospital Bed Capacity
As of this morning, 5,748 hospital beds are available and 5,908 are utilized, which is a 50.7% statewide hospital bed utilization rate.
