Chester County coronavirus cases top 700, York again adds fewer than 40 cases in a day
York County added one of its lowest daily case counts in recent weeks, while cases in Lancaster and Chester counties have continued to climb, South Carolina health officials said.
York County reported 32 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, which is one of the lowest daily case counts since June, according to official state numbers. York and Chester counties held free coronavirus testing sites last week, and officials expected the number of cases reported this week to jump.
On Monday, York County added 21 cases. The last time the county reported fewer than 30 cases in one day was on July 5, with 25, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. In July, York County averaged about 60 cases a day.
York County now has had 3,644 cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic in March, according to DHEC.
York County Deputy Emergency Management Director Mike Channell said York County’s 32 positive cases reported Wednesday may include some people who were tested at three free sites last week.
DHEC officials said 712 more people tested positive for the virus across the state Wednesday, marking the third day in a row that cases have not surpassed 1,000. That brought the total number of South Carolinians diagnosed with the virus to 102,143.
The agency also announced that 45 more people have died after contracting COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 2,057.
Cases in Chester County have now topped 700. The county added 16 cases, for a total of 704 confirmed since the pandemic started, according to DHEC. In July, Chester County averaged about 11 cases a day, according to official state numbers.
The 16 cases reported Wednesday, which is one of the highest daily case counts in the county, is likely attributed to free testing of 300 people done Saturday, said Eddie Murphy, Chester County Emergency Management Director.
With recent spikes in cases, Chester is now considered in an “elevated “ stage for corona cases in South Carolina Murphy said.
Lancaster County also added 16 new coronavirus cases, for a total of 1,233, according to DHEC. The county council voted Monday night to encourage residents to wear masks. Council members showed no support for any type of mandate.
Masks are helping
DHEC released new data Wednesday that shows local mask requirements are curbing the spread of coronavirus.
According to DHEC’s report, areas with mask rules have had, on average, a 15.1% decrease in the total number of cases reported in the four weeks after the requirement was enacted. Those areas had an overall decrease of 34.6 cases per 100,000 people, DHEC officials said.
However, areas without mask rules have had, on average, a 30% increase in the total number of cases. Those areas had an overall increase of 24.1 cases per 100,000 people, officials said.
Testing and hospitalizations
Another indicator of the coronavirus’ spread is the percentage of tests that turn up positive each day. In recent weeks, the percentage of positive tests averaged around 18% to 20%.
On Tuesday, 3,627 tests were conducted statewide, with about 20% having positive results, which is higher than what the percentage averaged in March and early April, 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 857,773 tests.
The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients peaked at more than 1,700 on July 23 and has slightly decreased since.
Of the 1,366 people hospitalized across the state with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, 333 are in intensive care and, of those, 206 are on ventilators, state health officials said Wednesday.
Only 2,121 of the state’s 10,382 total inpatient beds are available, meaning 79.6% of the state’s beds are in use.
In the York and Lancaster counties, hospitals have even less available space. In York County, 80% of beds are occupied, and in Lancaster County, 81% of beds are in use.
Where to get tested
On Saturday, Affinity Health Center will have free curbside testing at York Technical College in Rock Hill from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a press release from the center. Testing is available to anyone with or without symptoms, the release said.
Cases by ZIP code
As of Tuesday night, there are cases in the following ZIP codes:
York County
▪ 29704 - 51
▪ 29708 - 366
▪ 29710 - 414
▪ 29715 - 432
▪ 29717 - 16
▪ 29730 - 910
▪ 29732 - 879
▪ 29745 - 403
Lancaster County
▪ 29058 - 54
▪ 29067 - 119
▪ 29707 - 241
▪ 29720 - 863
Chester County
▪ 29014 - 40
▪ 29055 - 107
▪ 29706 - 437
▪ 29712 - 25
▪ 29714 - 50
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 6:17 PM.
