COVID-19 cases are dropping in SC, but so is testing. Winthrop to open free site.
Coronavirus cases continue to drop across South Carolina, especially in York, Lancaster and Chester counties.
Department of Health and Environmental Control officials said Wednesday that 250 more people had tested positive for the virus across the state, the lowest daily case count recorded since early June.
That brought the total number of South Carolinians diagnosed with coronavirus to 124,097.
York County added 21 new cases, which is one of the lowest totals since June. Lancaster County added six, and Chester County added five, continuing the trend of declining case counts.
The agency also announced Wednesday that 29 more people have died after contracting COVID-19, including a York County resident. The statewide death toll is now 2,800.
The York County resident who died was 65 or older, and died on Aug. 2, DHEC officials said.
Where to get tested?
Winthrop University announced in a release Wednesday that the school will be partnering with South Carolina DHEC to offer free COVID-19 testing in the North parking lot of the Winthrop Coliseum on select dates through “at least” December.
The testing, which will be performed via nasal swab, will begin Friday and will be offered on Sept. 18 and Sept. 23. The spot also will turn into a COVID-19 vaccine site once one emerges, the release said.
Hosting the site doesn’t cost anything to Winthrop, and patients won’t have to leave their cars when getting tested, said Winthrop’s health and counseling services director Jackie Concorda in a statement.
The Winthrop Coliseum, which will serve its students and surrounding community, will be the latest facility to provide free testing in Rock Hill, joining the Affinity Health Center off Lakeshore Parkway.
How are cases trending?
York County
York County has a “moderate” incidence rate, based on DHEC’s definition. The two-week cumulative incidence rate represents new cases reported in the last two weeks per 100,000 people.
In the last two weeks, the county has added 495 cases, with an incidence rate of 176.2 per 100,000 people, according to DHEC.
In July, York County averaged about 60 coronavirus cases a day. The average dropped in August, with the county averaging about 37 cases a day.
Lancaster County
Lancaster County has a “moderately high” incidence rate, based on DHEC’s definition.
In the last two weeks, the county has added 233 cases. It has an incidence rate of 237.7 per 100,000 people, according to DHEC.
Lancaster County’s daily case average went up in August. It averaged about 17 daily cases in July and about 19 in August.
Chester County
Chester County has a “high” incidence rate, based on DHEC’s definition.
In the last two weeks, the county has added 127 cases. It has an incidence rate of 393.9 per 100,000 people, according to DHEC.
Chester County’s case average stayed the same in August. It averaged about 11 daily cases in July and in August.
South Carolina
The number of daily new cases reported in South Carolina hit a high of 2,343 on July 18. In the month since, totals have slowly dropped. Wednesday, South Carolina added its lowest case count since June 3, but the state also had one of the lowest numbers of people getting tested in three months.
How many people are getting tested?
The percent positive, an indication of how widespread the virus is, represents the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive.
The percentage will be high if the number of positive tests is high or the number of total tests is too low, DHEC officials said.
York County
Since March, 43,707 people have been tested for the virus in York County, with about 13.7% of those positive.
York County’s percent positive was highest in July, with 16.5% of the 13,683 tests coming back positive. However in August, fewer tests were done. About 12.8% of the 10,158 were positive, according to DHEC.
The percent was lowest in May, with 6.1% of 6,322 tests being positive, according to DHEC.
Lancaster County
DHEC officials reported that 15,938 tests have been done in Lancaster County since March, with 14.3% of those positive.
Lancaster County’s percent positive was highest in August, with 20% of the 3,494 tests coming back positive. However in July, more tests were done. About 13.5% of the 4,750 were positive then, according to DHEC.
The percent was lowest in May, with 4.7% of the 2,174 tests being positive, according to DHEC.
Chester County
Chester County, with about 33,000 people, has administered the fewest coronavirus tests of the three counties. But it has the highest percentage of positive tests.
Since March, 7,232 Chester County residents have tested, with 17.1% of those tests coming back positive.
Chester County’s percent positive was highest in July, with 22.5% of the 1,886 tests coming back positive. However in August, fewer tests were done. About 22.2% of the 1,715 tests were positive then, according to DHEC.
The percent was lowest in May, with 7.7% of the 1,335 tests being positive that month, according to DHEC.
South Carolina
The state reported 1,744 individual test results Wednesday, which is one of the lowest totals of people getting tested in three months. But the percentage of positive tests was 14.3%, DHEC said.
In recent weeks, the percentage of tests coming back positive has ranged from 10% to 18%. It has continued to decline since July, when the average percentage was around 20% or higher. In May, at its lowest point, the percentage of positive tests in South Carolina ranged from 2% to 4%.
The number of tests completed across the state since March has topped one million. Labs in South Carolina have done 1,083,009 tests.
How many people have died from the virus?
York County
The number of reported coronavirus-related deaths went up significantly in York County in August, and so far in September, the county is continuing to record several deaths a week.
Last week, York County added seven deaths. The county has tallied 55 confirmed (and one probable) deaths, eight of which have been reported in September.
In June, the county had four deaths. In July, it had 14. And in August, York County had 21 deaths.
People in York County who are 81 or older make up less than 3% of those reported to have had the virus, but 52.7% of those who have died from it.
Lancaster County
Reported COVID-19 deaths also went up in Lancaster County in August, but the county has seen a drop in reported deaths in September.
Last week, Lancaster County added three deaths. The county has tallied 40 confirmed and three probable deaths since the pandemic started.
In June, the county had eight deaths. In July, it had seven deaths. And in August, Lancaster County had 19 deaths. So far in September, the county has reported four deaths.
People in Lancaster County who are 81 or older make up less than 7% of those reported to have had the virus, but 59.5% of those who have died from it.
Chester County
Chester County has had 18 confirmed (and one probable) deaths since March.
In August, Chester County added its highest number of deaths in August with seven. So far in September, the county has added one death.
Most of the those who die from the virus in the county are similar to that of other counties. In the county, 52.6% of those who have died from it have been 81 or older.
South Carolina
The number of reported coronavirus-related deaths across the state peaked on July 25, when 72 deaths were announced. The state has not reported more than 70 deaths in one day since, but the daily toll has stayed in the double digits.
Similar to the three counties, 39% of those who have died from the virus in the state have been 81 or older.
The statewide confirmed coronavirus-related death toll is now 2,800, according to DHEC.
Who is getting the virus?
York County
Of the 4,504 people who have been infected with the virus in York County, the highest percentage is reported among the younger age group.
About 18.3% with the virus in York County have been ages 21-30.
Lancaster County
Lancaster County follows a similar trend as York County. Of the 1,747 people who have tested positive for the virus in the county, the highest percentages are reported among people ages 31-40 and ages 41-50.
About 16% with the virus in the county fall in those two age ranges.
Chester County
Of the 933 people who have tested positive for the virus, the highest percentage is reported among people ages 51-60, according to DHEC data.
About 16.3% with the virus in Chester County are in that age range.
South Carolina
Younger people are getting the virus across the state. About 19.4% of those infected in South Carolina have been ages 21-30, according to DHEC.
The next highest percentage is reported among people ages 31-40, with about 15.5%, according to DHEC.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 4:38 PM.
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