South Carolina addressed 300,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Monday.
The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control released Saturday’s data on Monday, a recurring delay caused by the holiday.
In the past few weeks, the state has continued to record a large number of new cases of COVID-19 every day, now regularly exceeding 3,000.
The percentage of tests that returned a positive result for the virus also increased, indicating widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the community. For Saturday’s numbers of 10,481 tests, 33.3 percent were positive for coronavirus.
The growing number of cases has prompted some branches of the Charleston County Public Library to suspend in-person services and return only to the curb.
The library staff said on Monday that the Main Library at 68 Calhoun St., the Mount Pleasant Regional branch at 1133 Mathis Ferry Road and the Wando Mount Pleasant branch at 1400 Carolina Park Blvd. are only open for curbside services.
The change is due to the recent increase in the numbers of COVID-19 and the related closures that these three branches have suffered from exposure, Executive Director Angela Craig said in a press release.
State figures
New cases reported: 3,492, which is 2,110 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: 299,685, plus 25,787 probable cases
New deaths reported: 15
Total deaths in SC: 5,056 confirmed, 428 probable
Total tests in SC: 3,797,802
Hospitalized patients: 2,155
Percentage of positive tests, average of seven days: 31 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 on Saturday were Greenville, 555; Spartanburg, 370; and Richland, 289.
How about tri-county?
For Saturday’s report, Charleston County had 140 new cases; Berkeley, 74; and Dorchester, 42.
Deaths
Of the 15 new deaths reported up to Saturday, one was a patient aged between 18 and 34 years old, three were patients aged between 35 and 64 years old and the rest were 65 years old or older.
They lived in Aiken, Barnwell, Beaufort, Chesterfield, Greenville, Lancaster, Lexington, Orangeburg and Spartanburg counties.
Hospitalizations
Of the 2,155 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, 419 were in intensive care and 215 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 detachment 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 distance themselves socially should be tested monthly, DHEC advised.
Go to scdhec.gov/findatest to find a test site in your area.
Talk to Fleming Smith at 843-937-5591. Follow her on Twitter at @MFlemingSmith.