SC adds 71 COVID deaths over three-day period, more than 3,000 new cases on Monday

South Carolina reported more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases as most school districts are preparing to re-open and welcome tens of thousands of children back to class, according to data released Monday by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The agency reported 2,541 new confirmed cases and 636 probable cases that came in on Saturday.

The state also reported 17 confirmed deaths and two additional probable deaths on Saturday. DHEC also released data Monday that added six deaths from Friday and 46 deaths on Thursday, bringing South Carolina’s total coronavirus death toll to 10,108.

Thursday’s COVID-related deaths was the highest single day death reported in the state in months.

The highly contagious delta variant is likely responsible for the majority of new COVID-19 cases in South Carolina, according to state health officials. The exact number of delta cases is unknown because only a fraction of confirmed cases undergo genome sequencing, the process used to determine the variant.

Of the 28,793 COVID-19 tests conducted and reported Monday, 14.5% came back positive. This percentage indicates a very high rate of transmission, according to CDC indicators.

Percent positive refers to the number of positive COVID-19 tests in relation to all COVID-19 tests conducted.

At least 667,352 COVID-19 cases have been reported in South Carolina since the start of the pandemic.

Health officials recommend wearing a face mask and getting the coronavirus vaccine to help limit the spread of the virus. South Carolina currently has a 45.5% vaccination rate, one of the lowest in the country.

This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 1:28 PM with the headline "SC adds 71 COVID deaths over three-day period, more than 3,000 new cases on Monday."

Andrew Caplan

The State

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Andrew Caplan is a watchdog journalist who hails from Florida. He comes to The State Media Company after winning several statewide awards for investigations on elected officials and government entities. He holds a master’s degree from the University of South Florida.