Coronavirus update: Lancaster has 900-plus cases, 8th Chester resident dies from virus
Lancaster County now has had more than 900 coronavirus cases confirmed since the pandemic started, South Carolina health officials announced Monday.
The county added seven new cases Monday, which is among the lowest daily total the county has recorded in weeks, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The county has been reporting daily case counts above 20.
The county has had 908 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, according to DHEC.
Lancaster County Administrator Steve Willis said county officials continue to encourage residents to wear masks and social distance in public. Lancaster County Council has not discussed or considered a mandatory mask requirement, Willis said.
Across the state, DHEC identified 1,226 new cases Monday, bringing the state’s total reported infections to 82,071. Officials also reported that an additional 17 South Carolinians have died as a result of the virus, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,452.
Chester County added eight new coronavirus cases Monday, and DHEC officials reported an additional resident died as a result of the virus. The individual was middle-aged and died on Saturday, officials said. Based on DHEC’s definition, a middle-aged individual is between 35-64.
Based on DHEC’s count, there have been eight coronavirus-related deaths in Chester County.
York County added 47 new coronavirus cases Monday, according to DHEC. The county has had a total of 2,847 confirmed cases, according to DHEC. In five of the last seven days, the county has reported more than 50 cases a day.
Testing and hospitalizations
The percentage of tests that come back positive — another indicator of the coronavirus’ spread — has been rising over the last month, according to DHEC officials.
On Sunday, 8,395 tests were conducted statewide, with about 15% having positive results, DHEC reported. In May, at its lowest point, the percentage of positive tests ranged from 2% to 4% on average.
Since March, labs across the state have completed 711,726 tests.
South Carolina has seen a record number of hospitalized coronavirus patients nearly every day in July. But on Monday, DHEC did not provide new information on hospitalizations in the state. DHEC officials said hospitals are transitioning to a new federal reporting system and the agency “is aware that the information currently provided by hospitals through the new system has inaccuracies.”
Once the inaccuracies are cleared up, DHEC will provide hospitalization numbers, officials said.
Hospitals in York County are at 65% capacity, with 232 of the 348 beds currently in use, according to DHEC. And Lancaster County hospitals are at about 66% capacity, with 68 of 103 beds currently in use.
Cases by ZIP code
As of Sunday night, there are cases in the following ZIP codes:
York County
▪ 29704 - 37
▪ 29708 - 311
▪ 29710 - 333
▪ 29715 - 345
▪ 29717 - 10
▪ 29730 - 691
▪ 29732 - 695
▪ 29745 - 312
Lancaster County
▪ 29058 - 34
▪ 29067 - 82
▪ 29707 - 189
▪ 29720 - 634
Chester County
▪ 29014 - 30
▪ 29055 - 80
▪ 29706 - 262
▪ 29712 - 19
▪ 29714 - 42
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 4:22 PM.
