COVID case averages start to fall in York, Lancaster and Chester. What does it mean?
Coronavirus case trends in York, Lancaster and Chester counties are slowly beginning to dip, but state health officials caution that South Carolinians shouldn’t let down their guards just yet as hospitalizations and COVID deaths are rising.
York County’s seven-day average of newly confirmed cases, as of Wednesday, dropped to roughly 169 infections per day, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Earlier this month, that average was 287 cases per day, DHEC data show.
Wednesday, the county reported seven new COVID-19 deaths, DHEC data show. During the entire month of August, York County reported 24 deaths and so far in September, it has already added 19.
The county’s hospitalizations also remain high. York County hospitals, as of Tuesday, were treating 70 coronavirus patients, with 12 in the intensive care unit.
“Unfortunately, I don’t feel that we can be confident that we have turned the corner,” assistant state epidemiologist Dr. Jane Kelly said Wednesday. “I think that we still have a lot of challenges with our hospitals being filled with severely ill individuals, coming close to capacity in many cases. Not all are filled with COVID patients, but certainly, it’s having an impact on our healthcare system.”
In Lancaster County
Wednesday, Lancaster County reported two COVID deaths, DHEC data show. Lancaster County has, so far in September, reported 14 COVID-19 deaths, which is more than the total number of deaths it reported in August, according to DHEC.
Last week, the county reported seven deaths, which is just under the county’s highest-ever weekly death total of nine.
But the county’s seven-day case average dropped Wednesday to 64 infections per day, DHEC data show. Earlier this month, the county’s average was 98 cases per day.
“I am hopeful that this is a sign that we will have a continued downturn but I’m nervous about people becoming too complacent,” Kelly said. “If we let down our guard about masks, about the importance of getting vaccinated, the importance of keeping our distance — especially in indoor settings, then we risk that surge going back up again.”
In Chester County
Wednesday, Chester County’s weekly case average fell to 29 infections after staying around 40 cases a day since it reached an all-time high of 42 on Sept. 2, according to DHEC data.
The county reported one death Wednesday. So far in September, Chester County has reported eight COVID deaths, which marks the same number of deaths it reported during the entire month of August, according to DHEC.
Kelly urged more state residents to get vaccinated after South Carolina’s low vaccination rate left it vulnerable to the highly-transmissible delta variant, which contributed to the state’s surge over the summer.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we might start to see a decrease in the number of cases,” she said. “We’re by no means certain that there will not be a surge in this fall and winter as more people are indoors, as more people might travel or gather around the holidays. If another variant emerges that might be another cause for another surge.”
County level numbers
Here is the latest coronavirus data for York, Lancaster and Chester counties:
York County
New cases reported Wednesday: 95 confirmed, 20 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 6 confirmed, 1 probable
Seven-day average of new cases: 169.4 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,021 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 46.4% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Rock Hill School District active cases: 40 students, 7 staff
Fort Mill School District active cases : 97 students, 16 staff
York School District 1 active cases: 19 students, 6 staff
Clover School District active cases: 63 students, 13 staff
Lancaster County
New cases reported Wednesday: 23 confirmed, 9 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 1 confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 63.9 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 992 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 41.1% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Lancaster County School District active cases: 114 students, 40 staff
Chester County
New cases reported Wednesday: 13 confirmed, 33 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 1 confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 29.3 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,535 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 43.7% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Chester County School District active cases: 59 total
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 4:18 PM.
