Lancaster County sees record COVID case count; York County 1 dead, cases 100+
COVID-19 cases spiked with more than 100 new cases in York County on Friday, and Lancaster County appeared to mark a new high for daily cases, in the first results released after Thanksgiving, South Carolina health officials said.
Officials from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control on Friday reported 1,777 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, the highest daily case count in more than four months.
Lancaster County reported 56 new cases, while Chester County had 23 new cases. The 56 Lancaster cases appears to be a single-day high for Lancaster County since the pandemic began. The Herald reported Nov. 22 DHEC statistics showed Lancaster County had 55 cases in what was then the highest daily total.
However, DHEC did not release any data on daily cases on the Thanksgiving holiday Thursday, so it possible that Friday’s case counts incorporate more than one day of testing, said Darren Player, Lancaster County Emergency Management Director.
“Even emergency services such as ours did not receive data on Thanksgiving,” Player said.
York County reported 112 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, according to DHEC. One York County person, middle-aged, died from COVID, DHEC officials said.
York County has had some of the highest numbers of daily cases in the past two weeks since the pandemic began, DHEC statistics show.
The number of people being tested has increased in York County and South Carolina, but the percentage of positive tests also has gone up, said Chuck Haynes, York County Emergency Management Director. It is unclear if data released Friday shows an increase in the number of tests because people sought testing before the holiday, Haynes said.
Statewide, more than 14,000 test results were released Friday. Over 12 percent of those tested were positive, DHEC figures show.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster did not institute any Thanksgiving restrictions, but urged people to get tested before Thanksgiving if gathering for the holiday.
State and local officials continue to encourage the public to be tested if they have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with the disease.
To find a testing location near you, visit DHEC’s website at scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-testing-locations.
