COVID-19 numbers. How do they compare with other death causes in the tri-county area?
COVID-19 deaths are more than numbers. They’re people and families. Yet the numbers show just how widespread the coronavirus impact is to people and families in South Carolina, in many cases more than common killers -- from flu to falls to car wrecks.
Death certificate data from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shows how many state residents died by year and by cause. Deaths have increased steadily across most causes from 2010 to 2018 (the last year of posted data) as the statewide population increased.
York and Lancaster counties reflect similar trends.
The first reported COVID-19 death in South Carolina occurred March 15. Through the end of July, there have been 1,712 confirmed or probable deaths reported.
That’s more than the number of people who died in all of 2018 from auto vehicle wrecks (1,033), falls (591), drowning (57) and accidental discharge of firearms (18) combined.
COVID-19 deaths this year have now surpassed 2018 deaths from diabetes (1,581) and are less than 1,000 deaths shy of Alzheimer’s (2,617). COVID-19 deaths this year are about a sixth of 2018 deaths from heart disease (10,460) or cancer (10,360). COVID-19 deaths are about four times the homicide deaths (482) were then, and twice the suicide deaths (811).
COVID-19 deaths in the less than five months since the first occurred this year, are twice what flu and pneumonia deaths (882) were in 2018.
York, Lancaster, Chester
In York County, there have been 27 confirmed or probable COVID-19 deaths since mid-March. That total would be above the average number of people who die in York County each year from homicide (11) or drowning (3). It would be just below diabetes (48), falls (44), flu/pneumonia (37), suicide (36) and auto wrecks (33).
Of 46 counties, York has the eighth lowest infection rate in South Carolina at 1.09% of the population.
From all causes, York County saw an average of 1,968 deaths from 2010 to 2018.
Lancaster County
Lancaster County now has 21 confirmed or probable deaths from COVID-19. That figure already puts coronavirus above auto wrecks (17), flu/pnemonia (15), diabetes (15), suicide (12), falls (9), homicide (9) and drowning (1) for their annual averages from 2010 to 2018.
COVID-19 isn’t close to heart disease (204) or cancer (184), top causes among the 828 annual Lancaster County deaths on average.
Chester County
Chester County has a smaller population than York or Lancaster. From 2010 to 2018 there were an average of 401 deaths per year in Chester County. Heart disease (93) and cancer (89) again rank at the top.
Chester County has had 11 confirmed or probable COVID-19 deaths in five months. That number is above what the county would expect in a year from auto wrecks (10), flu/pnemonia (8), suicide (5), falls (4), homicide (3) and drowning (1).
Statewide, deaths from COVID-19 have increased in June and July. More businesses are opening and schools are set to open either next month or early September. Many municipalities including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, York and Chester have begun mandatory mask requirements to slow coronavirus spread.
