13 more positive for coronavirus in York County over weekend, SC health officials say
A few days before gyms, salons, barber shops, and other close contact businesses are set to reopen in South Carolina on Monday, York County reported 13 additional coronavirus cases over the weekend, South Carolina health officials announced.
According to official state numbers, York County has had 293 COVID-19 cases confirmed since the pandemic began.
Lancaster County reported three new cases over the weekend, for a total of 111, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Chester County, with 42 cases, reported two new cases, according to DHEC.
Shane Stuart, Chester County Supervisor, said it remains imperative that people wear masks whenever possible.
Nearby Fairfield County, a small rural county on the southern border of Chester, recorded cases in the double digits Thursday, Friday and Saturday. With so many cases in neighboring York and Fairfield counties, Stuart said it is vital for Chester residents to continue social distancing and other safety measures
DHEC also identified 163 new cases of COVID-19 across the state Sunday, for a total of 8,816 cases in all 46 counties.
York County Emergency Management Director Chuck Haynes told The Herald that with barber shops and salons and other businesses able to open Monday, people still need to practice safety guidelines and wear masks at those businesses.
Haynes said the county reported high numbers of cases this week, which was a result of increased coronavirus testing across the state. York County had 15 new cases Tuesday — the highest single-day total reported in the county since the pandemic started — and eight cases Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, according to DHEC and county figures.
In addition to the cases, DHEC announced that five other individuals died across the state. Based on the agency’s count, there now have been 385 coronavirus-related deaths in South Carolina.
Last week, York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said her office has confirmed eight residents died after testing positive for COVID-19. As of Sunday, DHEC had reported five coronavirus-related deaths in York County.
Lancaster County has reported five coronavirus-related deaths, and Chester County has not reported any deaths, according to DHEC.
COVID-19 testing and projected cases
DHEC is planning to nearly double the amount of statewide testing in May, with a goal of testing 2% of the state’s population, or 110,000 people, in each of the next two months, agency officials said.
As of Sunday, labs across the state have completed more than 127,802 tests and in all, about 7% of tests have come back positive. DHEC projected last week that about 81% of those diagnosed with the virus have recovered.
Hospitals across the state are at about 63% capacity. Sunday, DHEC officials said, of the 6,538 beds currently used across the state, 392 beds are occupied by patients with known or suspected cases of the virus.
Based on new DHEC projections, about 1,000 new coronavirus cases are anticipated this week. By May 23, DHEC officials expect a total of 9,652 cases reported in the state.
DHEC calculated that there are up to 1,800 unidentified cases in York County based on projections released Sunday. The agency estimated Lancaster County has as many as 682 unidentified cases, and Chester County has up to 258 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.
Coronavirus cases by ZIP code
As of Saturday night, there are cases in the following ZIP codes:
York County
- 29704 - 2
- 29708 - 28
- 29710 - 39
- 29715 - 38
- 29717 - 2
- 29730 - 63
- 29732 - 96
- 29745 - 17
Lancaster County
- 29058 - 4
- 29067 - 12
- 29707 - 27
- 29720 - 75
Chester County
- 29014 - 2
- 29055 - 7
- 29706 - 20
- 29712 - 1
- 29714 - 7
