Two more coronavirus deaths reported in York County, bringing total to 6, coroner says
Two more coronavirus-related deaths were reported in York County Wednesday, state and local officials announced.
York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said in a press release that a patient positive for COVID-19 died Monday afternoon in Fort Mill. Another resident died at a Charlotte hospital with complications related to the coronavirus, Gast said.
Gast said her office now has confirmed six York County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19.
The York County Coroner’s Office only issues a death certificate citing COVID-19 as the cause of death if the person had tested positive for the disease, Gast said. All six deaths involved older individuals who had existing medical issues, Gast said.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control reported one new coronavirus death in York County as part of its daily statewide COVID-19 death count. As of Wednesday, the agency has reported five coronavirus-related deaths in the county.
DHEC announced that eight other individuals died across the state. Based on DHEC’s count, there now have been 305 coronavirus-related deaths in South Carolina.
Four residents in Lancaster County have died after contracting the virus. Chester County has not reported any deaths.
DHEC also identified 97 new cases of COVID-19 bringing its total to 6,936 cases across all 46 counties. Two more cases were confirmed in York County and three cases were reported in Lancaster County, according to DHEC.
Since the pandemic started, there have been 222 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in York County, according to DHEC. Lancaster County has had 99 cases and Chester County has had 34 cases, according to DHEC.
More COVID-19 testing
At a press conference Wednesday, Gov. Henry McMaster said the state has a plan to expand testing and contact tracing, which will lead to a higher number of reported cases. DHEC announced Wednesday beginning next week, it will test residents and staff at all the state’s nursing homes, which will include about 40,000 people.
“We now know what the disease looks like,” McMaster said. “We know its capacity. We know it is vigorous. It is highly contagious. And among some people, including those with underlying physical conditions, as well as age, and the combination of those two makes it more deadly, which puts a target on our nursing homes and our elderly communities.”
More than 77,000 coronavirus tests had been completed by DHEC’s public lab and private labs as of Wednesday, and roughly 9% of tests have come back positive, according to the agency. DHEC projected Friday that about 79% of those diagnosed with the virus have recovered.
The agency’s Director of Public Health Dr. Joan Duwve said at the press conference, as of Tuesday South Carolina has tested about 1.25% of the state’s population and now, DHEC will receive enough testing supplies from the federal government to test 2% of the population, or 110,000 people, in May and June.
“It is almost twice as many tests as we have done since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Carolina,” Duwve said. “So, it is a significant number. It is mainly determined by the testing capacity that we will have based on the supplies that we will be sent...If we’re able, with the assistance of our commercial labs and our clinical laboratories, we hope to exceed that.”
Hospitals across the state are at about 65% capacity. Wednesday, DHEC officials said, of the 6,601 beds currently used across the state, 485 beds are occupied by patients with known or suspected cases of the virus.
Based on new projections released Wednesday, there are likely many unreported cases in the area. DHEC calculated that there are up to 1,364 unidentified cases in York County. The agency estimated Lancaster County has as many as 608 unidentified cases, and Chester County has up to 209 unidentified cases.
According to its website, DHEC calculates the projected cases based on evidence that for every known case, there could be up to nine unidentified people with the virus.
What else to know
A Rock Hill soup kitchen that has been closed for a month over coronavirus concerns will reopen Thursday.
The Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen will offer free carry-out lunches and there will not be any outdoor seating, The Herald previously reported. There will be a drive-through line for cars and bicycles, and a walk-through line.
The Old Town Farmers Market at Legal Remedy Brewing in Rock Hill will also open this Saturday, according to its website. The market has implemented safety measures to mitigate spread of the virus. Sampling will not be allowed and appropriate social distances will be marked.
Lancaster County officials announced Tuesday the county has implemented a plan to begin reopening next week.
Confirmed cases by ZIP codes
As of Tuesday night, there are cases in the following York County ZIP codes:
- 29704 - 2
- 29708 - 23
- 29710 - 34
- 29715 - 34
- 29717 - 2
- 29730 - 46
- 29732 - 64
- 29745 - 12
There are cases in the following Lancaster County ZIP codes:
- 29058 - 5
- 29067 - 10
- 29707 - 21
- 29720 - 71
There are cases in the following Chester County ZIP codes:
- 29014 - 2
- 29055 - 5
- 29706 - 16
- 29712 - 1
- 29714 - 8
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
