Young adult dies from coronavirus in Chester County, marks 2nd in area this week
Just days after a York County young adult died as a result of the coronavirus, health officials announced Monday another died in Chester County.
The Chester County resident died Thursday, seven days after the young adult from York County, according to information released by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The agency considers anyone of ages 18-34 to be in that category.
Both deaths marked the first in the county in that age range.
“It’s concerning,” Chester County Deputy Director of Emergency Management Ed Darby told The Herald. “It’s unusual for young folks to have problems with (the virus). We’ve seen that throughout the country, but it does happen. We’ve seen people throughout the age spectrum, but it’s rare.”
Monday’s death marks the county’s 39th confirmed death since March, and as the cases and deaths continue to rise in Chester County, Darby pleaded with residents to follow the precautions urged since March.
“Masks are good,” he said. “A lot of people say that, ‘Oh, that infringes on my right to be or something.’ This isn’t about that. This is about keeping this virus under control and not hurting somebody else.”
Also on Monday, York County reported an elderly resident, 65 or older, died last Thursday from the virus, marking the county’s 153th confirmed death.
Eleven deaths were reported across the state Monday. More than 236,000 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the virus since March and 4,398 have died, according to DHEC data.
How many cases were reported?
South Carolina received its first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Monday, health officials announced. After the state’s daily coronavirus totals rose above 3,000 two days last week, the count has gone down only slightly. South Carolina added 2,364 confirmed cases Monday.
York County added 115 confirmed coronavirus cases, which is the lowest added this month. The county already has added more than 2,000 cases in December, averaging nearly 157 cases a day. York County, with about 280,000 people, has reported 12,228 confirmed or probable cases since the pandemic started, according to DHEC.
Lancaster County has had a significant jump in cases over the last week. Monday, the county reported 47 new cases, which is the county’s fourth-highest count, according to DHEC data. Its highest case count is 75, which was recorded Saturday. The county of about 98,000 people has reported 4,185 confirmed or probable cases since March, according to DHEC data.
Chester County added 17 new cases. Its highest daily case count is 35, which was recorded Saturday. The county, with about 32,000 people, has reported a total of 1,867 confirmed or probable cases.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 4:21 PM.
