361 new cases of COVID-19, and 7 additional deaths in South Carolina

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Health officials have announced 361 new cases of COVID-19 and 7 more deaths in South Carolina.

Thursday’s update brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in the state to 13,005, and those who have died to 525, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The deaths included six elderly individuals from Florence (1), Lexington (2), Richland (1), and Spartanburg (2) counties. One death occurred in a middle-age individual from Greenville County.

DHEC’s current data shows that 85% of patients have recovered from the virus while 15% of patients are still ill.

As of Thursday morning, state health officials said 2,969 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,390 are in use, which is a 71.34% statewide hospital bed utilization rate.

“Of the 7,390 inpatient beds currently used, 453 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19,” DHEC said.

The following is a breakdown provided by DHEC of total positive cases and total deaths in Lowcountry counties.

LOWCOUNTRY COUNTIES REPORT	TOTAL POSITIVE CASES	TOTAL DEATHS
Beaufort County	406	14
Berkeley County	253	17
Charleston County	683	13
Colleton County	122	14
Dorchester County	176	3
Georgetown County	79	3
Orangeburg County	227	3
Williamsburg County	248	14

DHEC officials say they report positive cases and deaths based on county of residence as that information is provided, and that information could fluctuate if the case or death was found later to be from another area.

“Sometimes, during follow-up investigations, it’s determined an individual was the resident of another county or a different state,” state health officials said. “Our map is updated to reflect these changes.”

The number of new cases reported on Thursday, June 4 by county are listed below:

Abbeville (1), Aiken (5), Allendale (1), Anderson (13), Bamberg (4), Barnwell (1), Beaufort (5), Berkeley (10), Calhoun (3), Charleston (32), Cherokee (4), Chesterfield (11), Clarendon (1), Colleton (6), Darlington (3), Dillon (5), Dorchester (8), Edgefield (1), Fairfield (9), Florence (6), Greenville (56), Greenwood (9), Horry (14), Kershaw (3), Lancaster (4), Laurens (4), Lee (3), Lexington (26), Marion (1), Marlboro (4), Newberry (3), Orangeburg (15), Pickens (2), Richland (39), Spartanburg (35), Sumter (6), Williamsburg (2), York (6)

On Thursday afternoon, DHEC officials reported that the total number of individuals tested Wednesday statewide was 6,588 and the percent positive was 5.5%.

As of Wednesday, a total of 238,808 tests have been conducted in the state (by both DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory and private labs).

State health officials said as restrictions are reduced by reopenings and South Carolinians return to their workplaces and participate in recreational activities that might involve crowds, DHEC continues to urge everyone to be vigilant in practicing social distancing and wearing masks to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

This reminder comes amid public health experts’ concerns over the recent rise in COVID-19 data trends in South Carolina, according to a statement by DHEC.

“The more people you expose yourself to, the more you multiply your risk of being exposed to the virus,” said Dr. Linda Bell, state epidemiologist. “There are those who are finding ways to hold graduations and open businesses safely through careful planning and attention to crowd density and safety measures such as wearing masks. When we don’t do those things, we can put ourselves and others at risk, and case counts will rise.”

Health officials said as expected, part of the increase in COVID-19 cases is likely a result of increased testing efforts across the state.

“But other factors, including gatherings at which people fail to practice safety measures, could be in play as well,” DHEC officials said."There is still a significant risk of being exposed to the COVID-19 virus in a public setting in any community."

To reduce the spread, everyone should take following precautions:

Maintain social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from others
Wear a cloth mask that covers your nose and mouth while in public
Avoid touching frequently touched items
Regularly wash your hands
Monitor for symptoms and stay home when sick

“The more that South Carolinians take these necessary steps every day to reduce exposures, the more we can expect to see data trends begin to decrease, telling us that COVID-19 transmission is slowing across the state,” DHEC officials said.