Coronavirus update: York adds nearly 80 cases, officials expect spike with more testing
For the second day this week, York County added 78 new coronavirus cases, South Carolina health officials said Friday.
The county has had a total of 3,453 cases confirmed since the pandemic started in March, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
York County also reported 78 cases on Monday. In the last week, the county added 400 cases, and on five of those seven days, the county reported more than 50 cases.
And with free coronavirus testing sites open Friday in Lake Wylie, and earlier this week on Tuesday in Clover and Rock Hill, hundreds of people were tested and a spike in positive cases are expected next week when those results come back, officials said.
Across the state, DHEC identified 1,265 new cases Friday, bringing the state’s total reported infections to 97,554. Officials also reported another 21 South Carolinians have died as a result of the virus. The state’s death toll is now 1,883.
A statewide mask mandate went into effect this week. Face coverings are required in restaurants and entertainment venues, including gyms, theaters, parks, racetracks and auditoriums, as well as state government buildings.
Lancaster County added 19 new coronavirus cases, for a total of 1,137 confirmed cases, according to DHEC.
Cases in Chester County now have topped 600. The county also added 19 new coronavirus cases Friday, for a total of 629 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, according to DHEC.
Chester County officials are concerned about the recent high case counts reported in the county, said Eddie Murphy, the county’s Emergency Management Director.
Additionally, a free coronavirus testing site will be open Saturday in Chester County. Murphy said past testing sites have resulted in an uptick in positive case counts after hundreds of people were tested.
The testing site is open Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Chester County Government Center, 1476 J.A. Cochran Bypass.
Museums closed
York County’s museums remain temporarily closed despite being able to re-open amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all nonessential businesses in the state to close, including museums, on April 1 because of the COVID-19 crisis. Museums were allowed to re-open May 22.
York County’s museums closed on March 16 but have continued to offer programs online. The county’s Culture & Heritage Museums include the Museum of York County in Rock Hill, Historic Brattonsville in McConnells, McCelvey Center in York and the Main Street Children’s Museum in Rock Hill.
Carowinds closed
Carowinds officials said Tuesday the amusement park will remain closed through the end of the year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The park accounts for nearly half of the visitors to York County a year, Billy Dunlap, CEO of the tourism group Visit York County, said.
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 Thursday, 6,910 tests were conducted statewide, with about 18% having positive results, DHEC reported. In May, at its lowest point, the percentage of positive tests averaged 2% to 4%.
Since March, labs across the state have completed 824,500 tests.
The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients has steadily increased since late June and one time peaked at more than 1,700 on July 23.
Of the 1,415 people hospitalized across the state with confirmed or suspected cases of the coronavirus, 231 are on ventilators, state health officials said Friday.
Only 2,614 of the state’s 11,094 total hospital beds are available. Across the state, 76% of beds are in use.
Cases by ZIP code
As of Thursday night, there are cases in the following ZIP codes:
York County
▪ 29704 - 51
▪ 29708 - 354
▪ 29710 - 391
▪ 29715 - 415
▪ 29717 - 16
▪ 29730 - 864
▪ 29732 - 834
▪ 29745 - 377
Lancaster County
▪ 29058 - 47
▪ 29067 - 111
▪ 29707 - 223
▪ 29720 - 801
Chester County
▪ 29014 - 37
▪ 29055 - 106
▪ 29706 - 372
▪ 29712 - 23
▪ 29714 - 44
