According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), as of Thursday morning, of 10,706 inpatient hospital beds available statewide, 2,648 are available and 8,058 are in use, which is a 75.27% statewide hospital bed utilization rate.
Of the 10,706 inpatient beds currently available, 1,433 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19. This is a 13.38% hospital bed utilization rate for COVID-19 related patients.
On Thursday (July9) DHEC reported 1,723 new confirmed cases and one new probable case of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
Anderson County reported 23 new cases. Greenville County continues to show their numbers increasing, reporting 208 new cases.
DHEC reported 22 additional confirmed deaths and no new probable deaths. There are currently 1,433 hospital beds occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 50,548, probable cases to 143, confirmed deaths to 897 and 7 probable deaths.
Nineteen of the deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Anderson (1), Charleston (4), Clarendon (2), Darlington (1), Edgefield (1), Greenville (5), Hampton (1), Horry (2), Laurens (1), Richland (1) counties, and three deaths occurred in middle-aged individuals from Dorchester (1), Horry (1), and Spartanburg (1) counties.
The number of new confirmed cases by county are:
Abbeville (2), Aiken (30), Allendale (9), Anderson (23), Bamberg (4), Barnwell (5), Beaufort (40), Berkeley (98), Calhoun (3), Charleston (325), Cherokee (11), Chester (6), Chesterfield (1), Clarendon (8), Colleton (11), Darlington (5), Dillon (7), Dorchester (63), Edgefield (2), Fairfield (6), Florence (34), Georgetown (34), Greenville (208), Greenwood (20), Hampton (5), Horry (194), Jasper (6), Kershaw (15), Lancaster (13), Laurens (23), Lee (3), Lexington (66), Marion (9), Marlboro (2), McCormick (4), Newberry (10), Oconee (14), Orangeburg (46), Pickens (30), Richland (125), Saluda (5), Spartanburg (73), Sumter (48), Union (5), Williamsburg (6), York (66)
The one new probable case was Lancaster County (1).
As of Wednesday, a total of 507,870 tests have been conducted in the state. 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.
The total number of individuals tested Wednesday statewide was 8,350 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 20.6%.
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 99 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.
