Coronavirus in SC: Lexington patient among 5 new cases, bringing total to 33

South Carolina health officials announced Monday that five additional patients have tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 33 cases statewide, and a Lexington patient announced previously has died.

One of the new cases was in Lexington County. The other four were in Kershaw County, home to most of the coronavirus cases in South Carolina.

The new cases include an elderly person in Lexington County who tested positive who had been in close contact with another person who had contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The death announced Monday was a male patient in a Lexington Medical Center nursing home. DHEC officials would not say whether the latest case of coronavirus in Lexington County had come in contact with the now-deceased nursing home patient.

Lexington Medical Center spokesperson Jennifer Wilson confirmed late Monday that the new Lexington County patient was a resident at the extended care facility where the patient who died also had lived. They both were in contact with each other, but Wilson did not have specifics of their interaction.

Three of the cases announced Monday were middle-aged residents of Kershaw County who had come in contact with others with the coronavirus. Another involving an elderly person is still under investigation.

“We know that many South Carolinians are concerned about what impact this virus may have on themselves, their loved ones, and our state,” DHEC physician consultant Dr. Brannon Traxler said. “This is a rapidly evolving public health event, and DHEC takes every new infectious disease seriously. The state’s first reported death is an example of the importance of taking precautions to protect those at higher risk, like the elderly and people with serious underlying health conditions.”

The spreading coronavirus continued to worry officials in Kershaw County, drawing a group of public officials to the Kershaw County Courthouse steps Monday to explain how they were responding to the disease.

Camden city offices, except for City Hall and the police department, will be closed until further notice and some county services will be curtailed, officials said during a news conference Monday. Schools in Kershaw are closed and local officials are working to provide online teaching to students. Schools have been sanitized and deep cleaned, officials said.

“This is its own challenge, but I have no doubt we’ll get through it,’’ state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, said. “Our goal is to manage it to the highest extent possible right now.’’

Despite the concerns in Kershaw, parks remain open as long as people do not congregate in large groups. Businesses remain open and the public was encouraged to support them.

As of Sunday afternoon, 28 people had tested positive for coronavirus, according to DHEC, up from no confirmed or presumptive positive cases a week and a half earlier.

Both the number of cases and the government’s response have ramped up in the last few days.

Two hospitals — the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and Prisma Health in Greenville and Columbia — have announced drive-through testing to patients who complete a screening process.

Physicians also can order tests.

Linda Bell, an epidemiologist for DHEC, said the coronavirus test comes with no cost for patients, but people may still be charged for their actual medical visit. She added doctors are asked to rule out other illnesses first such as the flu or other respiratory illnesses before testing for the coronavirus.

On Sunday, McMaster announced he would be closing all public schools — which includes K-12 schools, technical colleges and state colleges — throughout the state. McMaster’s order to close all public schools in the state followed a Friday, March 13, announcement where McMaster declared a state of emergency and ordered the closure of all public schools in Kershaw and Lancaster counties.

McMaster on Sunday asked public gatherings to be limited to no more than 100 people, but on Monday, the White House recommended people not to gather in groups of more than 10 people.

Bell said there is no magic number, but said event organizers should use good judgment if they are planning to host a gathering with a large amount of people, especially if attendees will be older.

Last week, fears of the further spread of the coronavirus caused festivals, public places, events and classes to be canceled or closed.

Throughout the country, officials have canceled group gatherings. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of 50 people or more, according to the New York Times. Connecticut and New Jersey have similar bans.

The NBA and NHL have postponed their seasons. MLB Spring training has been delayed. The March Madness basketball tournament has been canceled, according to media reports.

Worldwide, there have been more than 179,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Of those, roughly 78,000 have recovered and just over 7,000 have died, according to a disease tracker from Johns Hopkins University. In the United States, the number of confirmed cases is more than 4,000, according to the tracker.

Lucas Daprile and Sammy Fretwell contributed to this story.

This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Coronavirus in SC: Lexington patient among 5 new cases, bringing total to 33."