A five-day string of double-digit deaths was broken on Sunday – and confirmed or presumed positive coronavirus cases declined to their lowest level in four days, according to the latest information on the virus released by South Carolina state health officials.
According to the latest release from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), there were 141 new confirmed or presumed positive cases reported in the Palmetto State since the data published on Saturday.
South Carolina is now reporting a total of 6,626 coronavirus cases since health officials first began releasing case data on March 6, 2020.
Take a look …
Meanwhile, SCDHEC announced eight additional fatalities related to the virus – bringing the statewide death toll to 275 (again, since the agency has been tracking the outbreak).
According to the agency, the eight recently announced deaths occurred in elderly individuals who lived in Berkeley (1), Clarendon (1), Greenville (1), Horry (1), Lexington (1), Richland (2), and Spartanburg (1) counties.
Richland county – which includes the state capital of Columbia, S.C. – is now tied with Greenville for the most coronavirus-related deaths in the state (each county has reported forty fatalities). Richland county leads the state with 964 confirmed cases, while Greenville – the most populous county in the Upstate region of South Carolina – ranks second with 757 cases.
Deaths attributable to the virus are on the verge of surpassing the death toll from the 2017-2018 flu season, which was a “severe” season according to the agency.
Obviously, we do not know – and may never know – how many South Carolinians previously had the virus (or succumbed to it) prior to the state beginning its monitoring of cases. Until there is widespread, accurate testing for the virus – and the two types of antibodies it produces – Palmetto State leaders will continue to fly blind when it comes to navigating the first wave of the virus (and preparing for the second).
Speaking of testing, South Carolina continues to lag well behind the rest of the nation – and its southeastern peers – on this critical metric. As of this writing, the Palmetto State ranks No. 47 nationally in terms of completed tests per 100,000 citizens – ahead of only Ohio, Kansas and Arizona.
As for projecting the first wave of the virus, SCDHEC believes it will see 7,855 total confirmed cases by May 9 – which would translate into an average of nearly 205 cases per day between now and then. The agency is also projecting it will see 9,064 confirmed cases by May 16 – which would translate into an average of 187.5 cases per day day between now and then.
Originally, SCDHEC was expecting to see nearly 8,700 cases by May 2.
Developing …
-FITSNews
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