COVID cases in York, Lancaster, Chester counties continue to fall. Will they stay down?
The alarmingly high coronavirus case counts that York, Lancaster and Chester counties experienced throughout the summer are gradually declining.
York County’s seven-day average of newly confirmed cases, as of Wednesday, dropped to roughly 147 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.
Lancaster County’s seven-day case average dropped Wednesday to 57 infections per day, DHEC data show. Earlier this month, the county’s average was 98 cases per day.
And Chester County’s seven-day case average was cut in half Wednesday after it reached an all-time high of 42 earlier this month, according to DHEC data.
State health officials suspect the recent decline is related to South Carolina’s steady uptick in the number of vaccinated residents and the fact that fewer people are traveling since summer has ended.
The rate of fully vaccinated residents in York, Lancaster and Chester counties continues to climb each week, according to DHEC data. More than 50% of those in all three counties have received at least one doses, DHEC data show.
But the state’s slowing surge, caused by the highly contagious delta variant, isn’t a reason just yet for South Carolinians to let down their guard, DHEC’s public health director Dr. Brannon Traxler said Wednesday.
“I don’t think we should look at the last couple of weeks as a sign that things are good, or going to necessarily continue to improve,” she said. “We must continue to increase our vaccination rates and continue wearing our masks for the time being in those public indoor settings.”
Deaths and hospitalizations
Although case averages in York, Lancaster and Chester counties are noticeably falling, hospitalizations and COVID deaths are not.
Wednesday, York County did not report any deaths, but the county added 12 deaths last week, according to DHEC data. During the entire month of August, York County reported 24 confirmed deaths and in September, it has so far reported 25.
The county’s hospitalizations also remain high. York County hospitals, as of Tuesday, were treating 57 coronavirus patients, with 10 in the intensive care unit.
Lancaster County reported fewer than five COVID deaths last week, but the county’s number of confirmed deaths reported in September more than doubled since August, according to DHEC data. Throughout the entire month of August, the county reported nine confirmed deaths, and in September, the county so far has totaled 20.
Chester County reported five deaths last week, according to DHEC data. In August, the county reported eight confirmed deaths, and in September, it has so far reported 12.
“We’ve seen cases decline over the last couple of weeks,” Traxler said. “There are likely multiple contributing factors, but we know that vaccines and masks play a role. We need to increase both as we look to finally end this pandemic.”
County level data
Here is the latest coronavirus data for York, Lancaster and Chester counties:
York County
New cases reported Wednesday: 83 confirmed, 27 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: None
Seven-day average of new cases: 148 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 792 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 47.4% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Rock Hill School District active cases since Sept. 26: 53 students, 9 staff
Fort Mill School District active cases as of Wednesday: 73 students, 18 staff
York School District 1 active cases as of Wednesday: 9 students, 9 staff
Clover School District active cases as of Wednesday: 54 students, 14 staff
Lancaster County
New cases reported Wednesday: 26 confirmed, 21 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 2 probable
Seven-day average of new cases: 57 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 864 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 42.1% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Lancaster County School District active cases as of Wednesday: 107 total
Chester County
New cases reported Wednesday: 7 confirmed, 14 probable
New deaths reported Wednesday: 1 confirmed
Seven-day average of new cases: 20.4 confirmed infections per day
Two-week incidence rate: 1,001 cases per 100,000 people
Vaccination rate: 44.6% of the county’s population has been fully vaccinated
Chester County School District active cases as of Wednesday: 17 total
