York County daily coronavirus cases spike by 12 as total nears 150, health officials say
York County added 12 new coronavirus cases Thursday — a day after the county reported zero new cases, South Carolina health officials announced.
The county now has a total of 149 positive tests since the pandemic started, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Lancaster County reported two new cases and Chester County did not report any new cases.
DHEC reported 276 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, across the state, for a total of 3,931 positive tests in all 46 counties.
Since the pandemic started, there have been 22 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chester County, and Lancaster County has had 71 reported cases, according to DHEC.
York County Emergency Management Director Chuck Haynes said it is unclear why the county reported zero cases Wednesday. He said it was likely the result of a lag in testing over the Easter holiday.
The 12 new cases reported in York County Thursday show that the disease has likely not hit its peak, and the public needs to continue to follow the state of emergency stay-at-home guidelines designed to slow the spread of the virus, said York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson.
Tolson has used social media, public service announcements and videos, and appearances in the South Carolina and Charlotte-area media to remind people that the stay-at-home order is designed to protect people.
“Those guidelines are the best way to prevent spread of the disease,” Tolson said.
DHEC announced Thursday that two more individuals have died in Lee County. Based on DHEC’s count, there have been 109 coronavirus-related deaths in South Carolina. Three residents in York County and two in Lancaster County have died after contracting the virus, according to DHEC.
As of Thursday, more than 36,000 coronavirus tests had been completed by DHEC’s public lab and private labs in the state, and roughly 11% of tests have come back positive, according to the department.
Based on new projections, DHEC calculated that there are up to 915 unidentified cases in York County. The department estimated Lancaster County has as many as 436 unidentified cases and Chester County has up to 135 unidentified cases.
According to its website, DHEC calculates projected cases based on evidence that for every known case, there could be up to nine unidentified people with the virus.
Confirmed cases by ZIP codes
As of Wednesday night, there are cases in the following York County ZIP codes:
- 29704 - 1
- 29708 - 14
- 29710 - 27
- 29715 - 26
- 29717 - 1
- 29730 - 26
- 29732 - 42
- 29745 - 8
There are cases in the following Lancaster County ZIP codes:
- 29058 - 4
- 29067 - 6
- 29707 - 16
- 29720 - 48
There are cases in the following Chester County ZIP codes:
- 29014 - 1
- 29055 - 5
- 29706 - 12
- 29712 - 1
- 29714 - 4
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 5:30 PM.
