‘The numbers just keep going up.’ York County’s COVID case average exceeds 245 a day
State health officials on Wednesday announced 190 new COVID-19 cases in York County and 90 cases in Lancaster County.
And two new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Chester County.
York County’s seven-day average is 248 new infections per day, reaching levels reported earlier this year at the pandemic’s height, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
In January, York County was averaging more than 200 cases a day. The average started to drop below 190 at the end of January.
Lancaster County’s seven-day average jumped Wednesday to 89 new cases per day. In January, the county was averaging about 100 cases per day.
Chester County is mirroring averages reported at the height of the pandemic. The county’s seven-day average reached 38 on Wednesday. It’s highest average to date was 41 reported in mid-January.
The delta variant, which is about twice as transmissible as earlier COVID-19 strains, makes up a majority of new cases reported in the state and is driving the state’s current case spike, DHEC medical consultant Jonathan Knoche said Wednesday during a media briefing.
He said more than 96% of cases sequenced in South Carolina for variants are due to the delta variant.
“We’re still in the upward trajectory of the delta variant, so we’re not seeing a decline in the number of cases as of yet,” Knoche said. “The numbers just keep going up right now, so I think people should still be concerned because we’re having transmission levels ... that are approaching what we had during our winter surge.”
Cases also are significantly rising in the state among those under 20, Knoche said. Since late August, those ages 11-20 have experienced the highest number of new cases in the state and those ages 0-10 have reported the second highest.
“Now, if you go back to earlier this summer for the week of June 12 to the 19, the 11-to-20-year-old age group accounted for 173 cases statewide,” he said. “This past week, in comparison that group accounted for 7,713 cases.”
Knoche highlighted that the zero-10 age group is not eligible for the vaccine and said the young group is more vulnerable to infection.
“They’re relying on parents, older siblings, the rest of the eligible population in their community to protect them through vaccination, masking and other safety protocols,” he said.
Where to get tested
The Winthrop University testing site has experienced increased traffic in recent days, officials said. The city of Rock Hill advised residents to proceed with caution near the testing site because of the traffic along Eden Terrace.
DHEC is working to add more testing sites in places with high demand or minimal access to free testing, Knoche said.
According to DHEC’s site, here’s a list of current testing providers:
York County
York County Health Department — Patients can sign up by calling 803-684-7004.
116 N Congress St., York
Carolinas Cornerstone Church — Patients can sign up by calling 1-855-472-3432.
1790 Gardendale Rd., Fort Mill
CVS Pharmacy — Patients can sign up online here.
510 Tom Hall St., Fort Mill
609 Cherry Rd., Rock Hill
Riverview Family Medical Center — Patients can sign up by calling 803-366- 7443.
2450 Indian Hook Rd., Rock Hill
Winthrop Coliseum — Patients can sign up online here or call 610-726-1205.
1162 Eden Terrace, Rock Hill
Broken to Better Urgent Care — Patients can sign up online here or call 803-818-3932.
735 Cherry Rd., Rock Hill
Rock Hill Heath Department —Patients can sign up online here or by calling 1-855-472-3432.
1070 Heckle Blvd., Rock Hill
1228 Colonial Commons Ct., Lancaster
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center — Patients can sign up online here or by calling 843-876-7227.
800 West Meeting St., Lancaster
Chester County
- 129 Wylie St., Chester
County level data
Here’s the latest coronavirus data for York, Lancaster and Chester counties:
York County
New cases reported Wednesday: 156 confirmed, 34 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: One confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 248 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,012 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 43.4% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Lancaster County
New cases reported Wednesday: 78 confirmed, 12 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: None
Seven-day average of new cases: 89.3 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,182 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 39.1% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Chester County
New cases reported Wednesday: 23 confirmed, 12 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: Two confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 38 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,361 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 40.7% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
