The number of new coronavirus daily cases has exceeded 2,000 for the second time this week in South Carolina.
The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control said the state added 2,070 more cases of the virus on February 12, and another 45 deaths were associated with it. Earlier this week, Palmetto’s state topped 7,000 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 since the first cases reported here in March.
The Midlands and Upstate areas led the state with the highest total new cases on February 12.
State figures
New cases reported: 2,070 confirmed, 481 likely.
Total cases in SC: 421,876 confirmed, 58,281 probable.
Positive percentage: 8.9 percent.
New deaths reported: 45 confirmed, 16 likely.
Total deaths in SC: 7,057 confirmed, 837 probable.
Percentage of ICU beds occupied: 78.5 percent.
How does SC rank in vaccines administered by 100,000 people? 44 as of February 11, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most affected areas
In the total number of new confirmed cases, Greenville, Lexington and Spartanburg counties saw the highest totals.
What about the tri-county?
Charleston County had 145 new cases on February 12, while Berkeley counted 54 and Dorchester saw 47.
Deaths
Nine of the new confirmed deaths reported occurred among people aged 35 to 64, with the remainder of patients aged 65 and over.
Hospitalizations
Of the 1,375 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized until February 12, 310 were in the ICU and 174 were using ventilators.
What do the experts say?
The CDC encourages people to continue to wear masks, avoid crowds, stand 1.8 m away from others and avoid poorly ventilated spaces. Dr. Linda Bell, DHEC’s chief epidemiologist, said that now is not the time to relax these preventive measures.
The CDC issued guidelines this week recommending that the use of two tightly fitting masks on top of each other increases their effectiveness.
It is recommended that people who are away from home in the community get tested for COVID-19 once a month or earlier if they develop symptoms or live with someone who is positive for the virus.
