Coronavirus latest: For 7th day this week, York County adds more than 40 daily cases
York County reported another significant increase in coronavirus cases Thursday as its total number topped 1,300, health officials announced.
The county added 42 new coronavirus cases, marking the seventh consecutive day it’s reported more than 40 cases, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. And on Monday, York County reported 59 cases, which marked the highest number reported to date in the pandemic.
The county, which now has 1,300 cases to date, was regularly reporting cases in the single digits in April and May, and as a result of the spikes, officials are growing more uneasy.
Chuck Haynes, York County emergency management director, said his office remains concerned about the high number of positive cases, which included record numbers, reported in the past three weeks.
Haynes said county staff urges people to wear masks in public and continue social distancing, as experts say those methods will help curtail the spread of the virus.
Any decision for York County to move to a mask requirement would be a decision of the county council and county management, Haynes said.
As the July 4 holiday approaches, Haynes urged residents who can stay home to do so and avoid crowds.
“It’s a holiday weekend. We all know that, but the safest measure for people right now is to enjoy the holiday at home where there is a less likelihood of exposure,” Haynes said.
York City Council will consider a mask mandate at its meeting Tuesday night. However, no other municipality, nor York County as a whole, has considered a mask requirement.
York County Council member William “Bump” Roddey has pushed for a countywide mask mandate and said Thursday he will not give up.
“I hope the city of York passes a requirement and I will continue to push for a county mask requirement,” Roddey said. “I also hope the city of Rock Hill, our largest municipality by far, would consider a mask requirement. Fort Mill, Clover, Tega Cay, I would urge all those places to consider it. This would not be anything where people would have to wear masks at home or in their yards when alone. This would be for when people are in public places.”
Roddey said he has received a lot of feedback from people both for and against a mask requirement.
“The sole reason to ask for a mask requirement in public is protect the health and safety of all residents,” Roddey said. “This is a measure that shows we all are in this together — as a community.”
Roddey said he hopes that positive case numbers do not go up, and hopes residents will be safe over the July 4 holiday. However, Roddey has concerns that case numbers will go up again after the holidays, as they have since Memorial Day.
Cases jump in Lancaster, Chester
Across the state, DHEC identified 1,629 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, pushing the overall total of infections to 39,587.
Officials also reported that an additional 19 South Carolinians have died as a result of the virus, bringing South Carolina’s new death toll to 777.
None of the deaths included individuals from York, Lancaster or Chester counties.
State health officials warned the number of cases could substantially jump over the holiday weekend if people are not careful. State epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said at a press conference Thursday that cases in the state began to rise significantly in May after the Memorial Day weekend, and if people do not social distance or wear masks on July 4, cases “could rise to the levels none of us could have previously imagined.”
“If we don’t social distance, if we don’t wear our masks, then we’re going to see more of our friends, our family members, our loved ones, who will continue to become ill, who will be hospitalized and many will die,” Bell said.
Lancaster and Chester counties each added 11 new cases Thursday, according to DHEC. Lancaster County has had a total of 497 confirmed cases and nine probable cases.
A probable case would be someone who has not received lab test results, but has coronavirus symptoms or a positive antibody test, according to DHEC’s definition.
Chester County’s total confirmed cases are now 200 since the pandemic started, according to DHEC.
On Wednesday, 9,634 tests were conducted statewide, with 16.9% having positive results, DHEC reported. Since March, labs across the state have completed 442,263 tests.
Hospitals across the state are at about 73% of capacity. Of the 7,830 beds in use across the state on Thursday, DHEC officials said 1,125 were occupied by coronavirus patients or those who are suspected of having COVID-19.
South Carolina first surpassed 1,000 beds on Monday.
Hospitals in York County are at 85% capacity, with 246 beds currently in use out of 288, according to DHEC. And Lancaster County hospitals are at about 45% capacity, with 71 beds currently in use out of 149.
Cases by ZIP code
As of Wednesday night, there are cases in the following ZIP codes:
York County
- 29704 - 16
- 29708 - 165
- 29710 - 175
- 29715 - 161
- 29717 - 6
- 29730 - 295
- 29732 - 306
- 29745 - 135
Lancaster County
- 29058 - 16
- 29067 - 47
- 29707 - 88
- 29720 - 373
Chester County
- 29014 - 16
- 29055 - 47
- 29706 - 86
- 29712 - 13
- 29714 - 27
