Although cases drop, COVID deaths climb in York and Lancaster counties. What to know.
Coronavirus cases are starting to fall in York and Lancaster counties, but the number of deaths are climbing.
While York County’s seven-day case average has steadily dropped since it peaked on Sept. 6 with 287 new infections per day day, the county’s deaths are mounting, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Wednesday, York County reported eight confirmed COVID-19 deaths, totaling nine deaths so far this week. During the entire month of August, the county reported 24 deaths.
The county’s hospitalizations also remain high. York County hospitals, as of Tuesday, were treating 75 coronavirus patients, with 11 of those people in the intensive care unit.
Lancaster County has, halfway through September, reported 11 COVID-19 deaths, which is more than the total number of deaths it reported in August, according to DHEC data.
The county’s seven-day case average, which was 74 Wednesday, has been continually dropping since Aug. 31 when it peaked at 97 new infections per day, according to DHEC data.
Lancaster County hospitals, as of Tuesday, were treating 18 coronavirus patients, with four of those people in the intensive care unit.
“Thankfully, daily case numbers have seen a recent decline,” assistant state epidemiologist Dr. Jane Kelly said Wednesday. “Cases can certainly fluctuate, at any given time, and we may experience a surge again. We believed, earlier this year, that we rounded a corner, and that was primarily due to large influx of vaccinations. We’re going to need to see that again if we’re going to truly turn a corner and beat that pandemic.”
Chester County’s weekly case average has been hoovering around 40 cases a day since it reached an all-time high of 42 on Sept. 2, according to DHEC data.
Chester County hospitals, as of Tuesday, were treating eight coronavirus patients.
Newly reported cases, deaths and hospitalizations are mostly occurring in a unvaccinated individuals, Kelly said. During the entire month of August, South Carolina reported 122,746 new cases. DHEC was able to determine the vaccination status for 27,201 cases and of those cases, 23,166 — or 85% — were among people who were not fully vaccinated, according to DHEC data.
Of the 611 deaths reported in the state during the same time, 458 — or 75% — were among people who were not fully vaccinated, according to DHEC data. Kelly said nearly 98% of the breakthrough deaths were among those who had preexisting or more than one medical conditions at the time.
“The data tell the same story — vaccination is saving lives,” Kelly said. “Being unvaccinated is harmful to the individuals and to their families.”
County level numbers
Here is the latest coronavirus data for York, Lancaster and Chester counties:
York County
New cases reported Wednesday: 146 confirmed, 40 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 8 confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 240.6 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,315 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 45.3% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Lancaster County
New cases reported Wednesday: 37 confirmed, 9 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 1 confirmed, 1 probable
Seven-day average of new cases: 74.4 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,170 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 40.1% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Chester County
New cases reported Wednesday: 14 confirmed, 26 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 1 confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 40.4 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,687 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 42.6% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 5:33 PM.
