Beginning this week, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is reporting probable cases and probable deaths in regard to COVID-19. This makes South Carolina the 23rd state in the country to follow recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to report this information.
There are currently zero probable deaths in the state, and five cumulative probable cases: June 14, York County (1); June 15, Lexington (1) and Richland (1) counties; June 16, Richland County (2). This new information is available on our Testing Data & Projections webpage.
A confirmed case is an individual who had a confirmatory viral test performed by way of a throat or nose swab and that specimen tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19. A positive viral test, also called a PCR test or molecular test, alone is enough to classify a confirmed case.
A probable case is an individual who has not had a confirmatory viral test performed but has:
1. epidemiologic evidence and clinical evidence of infection, or
2. a positive antibody blood test and either epidemiologic evidence or clinical evidence. (A positive antibody test alone is currently not a reliable method for diagnosing a COVID-19 infection.)
A confirmed death is someone whose death is related to COVID-19 and who tested positive with a confirmatory viral test for COVID-19.
A probable death is an individual whose death certificate lists COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death but did not undergo confirmatory viral testing.
A new webpage provides information about probable cases and deaths and will be updated to reflect the most current CDC recommendations for reporting this new information.
