| Greenville News
It took less than a month for a virus to change daily life in South Carolina.
As the number of coronavirus cases increased each day, the advice of health officials gradually shifted to stricter precautions to prevent the virus from spreading further. State and local governments have implemented increasingly stringent restrictions requiring the closure of non-essential companies.
Since the first two cases were reported in South Carolina 26 days ago, 1,293 people in the shave tested positive for the new coronavirus and 26 people with the disease have died.
Index: Coronavirus coverage in South Carolina
Here is a timeline – a re-enactment of the messages the public has received since this unprecedented event started to touch lives here.
January 29 – on the radar
- The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announces that it is monitoring cases of COVID-19, but the CDC says the risk to the American public is low at the moment
- DHEC says the risk of infections in South Carolina depends on travelers from the affected areas, how easily the virus can spread from person to person and from other people, who were unknown.
- No additional precautions are recommended for the public other than “simple daily precautions that everyone should always take” including, says DHEC, getting the flu shot, washing hands, covering a cough and disposing of used tissues and other contaminated items with respiratory droplets.
February 14 – flu warning
- State health officials ask residents to protect themselves against the flu, saying it is a more present threat than COVID-19. “The virus is not spreading in the United States and the immediate risk to the general public in the United States remains low at the moment. In the meantime, influenza activity crosses the country and South Carolina remains widespread,” according to a statement from the DHEC.
- As of February 12, there were 1,931 hospitalizations and 68 flu-related deaths reported in South Carolina so far during the flu season.
March 2 – response team formed
- On March 2, Governor Henry McMaster assembles a response team dedicated to COVID-19. No cases have been registered in the state.
March 5 – Greenville City Initial Response
- The first tweet from the city of Greenville mentioning coronavirus
March 6 – First cases reported in SC
- DHEC releases the first information about two people with suspected cases of COVID-19. The test results have not been confirmed by the CDC
- State health officials report the patients’ sex, municipality of residence, treatment, travel history and describe their ages as “adults” or “elderly”
- Health officials are working to find others who may have had contact with patients
- No additional precautions are recommended for the public other than getting the flu shot, washing your hands, covering your cough and disposing of tissues
- State epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell says the risk to the public is low and there is no evidence of continuous transmission in the community; the goal is prevention and control
March 13 – state of emergency
- Governor Henry McMaster establishes a state of emergency, closes public schools in Kershaw and Lancaster counties by the end of the month and requests $ 45 million to go to DHEC
Cases from March 14 to 19
- DHEC releases information on six more possible cases of COVID-19 and says that the number of cases should increase
- Bell says DHEC is “emphasizing the importance of practicing disease prevention measures and following recommendations for social distance to protect our community”
- The public is encouraged to continue with their daily routines and practice good hygiene
- “Individuals with signs of illness are asked to take seriously the recommendation to stay home, not go to school and work, and not attend public meetings,” says a statement from DHEC
- DHEC provides information about the patients’ municipalities of residence, how they were exposed to the virus, whether they were linked to previously reported cases and whether the patients were at home or in the hospital
- DHEC also shares the name of an affected nursing unit – Lexington Medical Center Extended Care Skilled Nursing Facility – where one of the patients who later died of COVID-19 lived
March 20 – 3 deaths, 125 cases
- On March 20, McMaster ordered all public schools across the state to close and requested that internal and external public meetings be canceled, postponed or rescheduled, except for local government meetings or private companies.
- DHEC reports 125 COVID-19 cases in 25 counties, as well as two additional deaths
- No information on demographics of new patients is released beyond the county of residence
- “DHEC will always provide the information necessary for residents to protect themselves,” says a DHEC statement. “However, DHEC is obligated and obligated to protect each individual’s personal health information, especially cases that occur in small communities or other nearby communities, where even basic information can identify an individual.”
- South Carolina residents are instructed to monitor symptoms, practice social detachment, avoid touching frequently touched items and washing their hands, especially after being in public
March 27 – 13 deaths, 539 cases
- It is reported that the first person to die from COVID-19 in Greenville County, a total of 13 people died
- The disease has spread to 39 municipalities
- Dr. Brannon Traxler, a DHEC doctor, in a statement tells the public to stay at home and away from people outside their home, except for essential reasons and reiterates good hygiene practices, adding that people should disinfect surfaces, especially if they are played frequently
- The national shortage of some chemicals used in the COVID-19 tests created a test portfolio, including in South Carolina
- On March 27, DHEC receives more of the chemicals and begins testing its accumulation of approximately 1,600 specimens
March 31 – 22 deaths, 1,083 cases
- COVID-19-related deaths in South Carolina have been reported for six consecutive days through March 31
- Everyone should take precautions, says Bell, at some point most people will be exposed to COVID-19
- The public is instructed to stay at home and limit close contact with others
- “In one way or another, the spread of COVID-19 will affect each and every one of us,” Bell said during a news conference. “We are all in this together and, with your help, our hope is to minimize the risk for everyone.”
- Evidence shows that it is possible for people to transmit the coronavirus before presenting symptoms and the spread may continue for longer than expected after becoming ill, she said.
- “This is a challenging time and it won’t end anytime soon,” said Bell
- The priorities are to protect people at high risk of complications from infection and health professionals who are at risk of continuous exposure
Haley Walters covers public safety, crime and breaking news. Send an email to [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @_haleywalters