State health officials reported another low number of new daily cases of coronavirus on Sunday, with fewer than 700 confirmed cases.
Of the 4,450 people tested for the day’s numbers, 14.9 percent received a positive test result. The growth of the virus slowed from a peak in mid-July, which saw more than 2,000 new confirmed cases each day, but tests have also declined since that time, and the percentage of individuals tested positive remains high.
On Sunday, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control reported that the number of tests was doubled in four days, leading to an inflation of about 21,000 tests. Duplication does not affect test results, DHEC said, and the total number of cases remains the same.
The number of tests carried out on May 1, June 1, July 1 and August 1 has been corrected, leaving a new number of 954,442 tests in total carried out until Sunday. The data processing error that led to duplication has been corrected, according to DHEC.
DHEC has programmed about 247 mobile test clinics through October 13. South Carolina residents can visit scdhec.gov/covid19testing for information on how to test at a mobile clinic or at one of the 222 permanent COVID-19 test facilities.
State figures
New cases reported: 663
Total cases in SC: 110,658
New reported deaths: 8
Total deaths in SC: 2,380
Hospitalized patients: 1,026
Percentage of positive tests: 14.9 percent
Total tests in SC: 954,442
Which areas are most affected?
Richland County had the highest number of new cases in the state with 77. Charleston County followed with 62, and Greenville County with 51.
What’s going on in the three counties area?
Charleston County had 62 new cases, Berkeley had 11 and Dorchester had eight, according to DHEC.
Deaths
In addition to eight confirmed deaths, DHEC is investigating four more that were possibly caused by COVID-19.
One of the confirmed victims was between 35 and 64 years old, while seven were 65 or older. They resided in Anderson, Chester, Darlington, Greenwood, Lancaster, McCormick and Oconee counties.
Hospitalizations
DHEC reported that 1,026 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized on Sunday. Of these, 150 were on ventilators and 250 on intensive care.
What do the experts say?
The authorities continue to urge the South Carolina to avoid staying indoors or less than 2 meters from people without a mask. Several municipalities formalized the request with local ordinances.
Talk to Fleming Smith at 843-937-5591. Follow her on Twitter at @MFlemingSmith.