As healthcare professionals across South Carolina prepare for a post-holiday increase in new coronavirus cases, more than 1,760 patients with COVID-19 are spending Christmas Eve at state hospitals.
About 20 percent of hospitalized patients in the state have COVID-19 and nearly 21 percent of them are in intensive care, according to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control.
More than 10% of patients hospitalized with coronavirus – 177 people – use ventilators.
Several counties, including Cherokee, York, Dillon, Marion and Jasper, had no acute hospital beds available for new patients on Thursday.
DHEC will not release new case numbers on the Christmas Day holiday, but stressed that residents of Palmetto state should celebrate with confidence.
New cases reported: 2,260, which is 1,330 percent higher than the 158 registered on March 31, the day Governor Henry McMaster ordered the closure of non-essential deals.
Total cases in SC: 263,392, plus 21,636 probable cases
New deaths reported: 11
Total deaths in SC: 4,662 confirmed, 381 probable
Total tests in SC: 3,441,478
Hospitalized patients: 1,766
Percentage of positive tests, average of 7 days: 22.2 percent. Five percent or less of the tests with positive results is a good sign that the spread of the virus is slowing, say the researchers.
Most affected areas
South Carolina’s top counties for new coronavirus cases reported on Thursday were Greenville, 319; Spartanburg, 217; and Richland, 148.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 48 new cases; Berkeley, 39; and Dorchester, 63.
Deaths
One of the 11 deaths reported on Thursday was from a patient aged 35 to 64, and the rest were 65 or older.
They lived in Aiken, Anderson, Darlington, Florence, Greenville, Lancaster, Marion, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg and York counties.
Hospitalizations
Of 1,766 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday, 365 were in intensive care and 177 were on ventilators.
What do the experts say?
The authorities continue to urge southern Carolinians to take precautions, such as wearing masks or other facial covers, social distance and frequent hand washing.
They also recommend that anyone who believes they have been exposed to the virus or who are developing symptoms get tested. Those who live in the community or cannot socially distance themselves should be tested monthly, DHEC advised.
Go to scdhec.gov/findatest to find a test site in your area.
Talk to Sara Coello at 843-937-5705 and follow her on Twitter @smlcoello.