SC reports highest single-day COVID-19 death total
DHEC encourages everyone to get vaccinated as new variants spread across the U.S.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - On Wednesday, the South Carolina Department for Health and Environmental Control reported 3,251 total cases (2,409 confirmed, 842 probable) along with 138 deaths (110 confirmed, 28 probable). Those numbers are accurate as of September 13.
*DHEC reported 241 deaths on February 1, 2021. However, that report was a total of deaths from several days of reporting.*
>> EXCLUSIVE: An inside look at the COVID-19 floor at Lexington Medical Center
The difference between confirmed and probable cases is based on the type of test a person receives. Probable cases are treated as confirmed cases by doctors, DHEC says.
Click the day below to see confirmed and probable cases by county:
DHEC is no longer giving a date of death for these reports, claiming it violates the privacy of the deceased because of the decrease of COVID-19 deaths across the state.
The agency has also stopped sharing the age range of those who have died from COVID-19 each day, but they are putting out weekly reports with that information on Tuesdays.
Click or tap here to see the latest weekly death report, including counties and age ranges, for Sept. 5 to Sept. 11.
While new cases of COVID-19 were on the decline in South Carolina in June, cases have been on the rise since mid-July.
THE LATEST
- SC reports highest daily death total since start of pandemic
- SC reports 3rd highest total since start of pandemic
- SC education dept. to enforce mask mandate on school buses
- FDA gives full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
- 1,000+ doctors, pediatricians in SC ask governor, general assembly to lift ban on mask mandate in schools
- Lexington Medical Center facing ‘critical shortage’ of ICU beds, as DHEC calls for more South Carolinians to act with immediacy in getting vaccinated
- SC surpasses 10,000 COVID deaths, state health department says
- DHEC updates COVID-19 dashboard for upcoming school year
- Prisma Health hospitals administering more COVID antibody treatments to keep beds open during surge
- Here are the temporary SC laws related to COVID-19, schools, masks and vaccines
Hospitalizations in the state are also spiking, with dozens of new people getting hospitalized with COVID-19 each day.
“While deaths due to COVID-19 are declining because of the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines that are available, cases and hospitalizations are currently rising in South Carolina, as in many other states, because large numbers of the population remain unvaccinated,” DHEC officials wrote on the agency’s website. “We urge all South Carolinians to protect themselves and others by getting their COVID-19 vaccines if they haven’t already. Vaccines are how we end the COVID-19 pandemic once and for all.”
A recent DHEC data review suggests people who are not fully vaccinated account for nearly all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
Vaccines are readily available across the state.
COVID-19 VACCINES
Everyone over the age of 12 in South Carolina is currently eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Get more details and make an appointment by clicking or tapping here.
As of September 12, DHEC reported that of vaccine-eligible South Carolina residents:
- 58.6% have received at least one vaccine -- 2,516,410 people
- 49.7% are fully vaccinated -- 2,133,556 people
TRACKING PERCENT POSITIVE
Percent positive refers to the number of people who test positive for COVID-19 in relation to the number of tests being performed.
DHEC says the percent positive from the 26,481 molecular tests most recently reported to them was 12.6% (not including antibody tests).
COVID-19 TESTING
DHEC encourages everyone who is out and about in the community to get tested routinely, at least each month.
Find testing locations by clicking or tapping here.
COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS
As of Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says 85.31% of inpatient beds in South Carolina are in use while 86.35% of ICU beds are in use.
There are 2,581 hospitalized patients who have COVID-19 which makes up 24.35% of inpatient beds in use for COVID-19, HHS reported. Of those patients, 621 are in the ICU. HHS is reporting that 44.36% of ICU beds are in use for COVID-19.
NOTE: DHEC is now only updating its hospitalization dashboard once a week, which is why WIS is now relying on HHS data for a daily report on hospitalizations. Ventilator numbers will be updated weekly, on Tuesdays.
Click here for more information on hospital bed occupancy by county.
Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths Among Not Fully Vaccinated
On July 8, 2021, DHEC began reporting data about COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination status.
The agency will continue analyzing the data it has, and report results every two weeks to keep South Carolinians informed about the benefits and limitations of vaccinations.
As of August 31,the overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the first two weeks of June 2021 were among residents who were not fully vaccinated, DHEC identified similar results when looking at provisional data for the time frame of July 16-Aug. 15.
That analysis shows:
From July 16-Aug. 15, DHEC reported 67,469 cases among South Carolinians.
- Among the 21,990 reported cases where we were able to determine vaccine status, 18,810 (85.5%) of cases were considered not fully vaccinated.
- Among the 1,088 reported cases who were hospitalized with COVID and where we were able to determine vaccine status, 779 (71.6%) were considered not fully vaccinated.
- Among the 384 reported deaths from COVID where vaccine status was able to be determined, 301 (78.4%) were considered not fully vaccinated.
Click here for more information on cases, hospitalizations and deaths among the not fully vaccinated
TRACKING MIS-C AND VIRUS VARIANTS
DHEC has a dashboard that shows the number of cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 in South Carolina.
It also shows how many cases of different variants have been found in the state, by type.
As of September 8, there have been 1,335 reported cases of the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 in South Carolina. However, health officials say there are likely far more delta variant cases in the state. DHEC only sends a random sample of positive tests to scan for variants.
KEY INDICATORS OF COVID-19 IN SC
Below is DHEC’s Key Indicators dashboard. It’s meant to give an “at-a-glance view” of important data points used to measure the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
It shows trends in cases, testing, deaths, hospitalizations, and more.
DHEC says all of these factors need to be considered when evaluating the spread of COVID-19 in South Carolina.
Copyright 2021 WIS. All rights reserved.
Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline.
