The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) released updated data on Thursday (July 23, 2020) related to the status of the coronavirus pandemic within the Palmetto State. And once again, the statistics were a moving target.
First, the latest numbers …
New Positive Cases: 1,538 (5 probable)
Daily Percent Positive Rate: 20.9 percent
Total Positive Cases: 76,315 (291 probable)
New Deaths: 49
Total Deaths: 1,294 (40 probable)
Case Fatality Rate: 1.69 percent
Hospital Bed Utilization: 64.38 percent
Covid-19 Hospitalizations: 1,723
Covid-19 Patients On Ventilators: 241
Here is our updated chart tracking tests and cases …
Here is our updated chart tracking hospitalizations …
And finally, here is our updated chart tracking Covid-19 deaths in the Palmetto State …
Those of you following this data on our site will notice a huge decrease in one particular metric – the one related to hospital occupancy. Yesterday, SCDHEC reported 86.7 percent “occupancy” of hospital beds but today the agency announced a 64.38 percent “statewide total hospital bed utilization rate.”
Why the huge drop-off?
“Today’s news release includes the first hospital reporting using the new TeleTracking system,” SCDHEC noted in its release. “As hospitals acclimate to this new federally required reporting system, the accuracy of the data is expected to improve.”
Heading into this week, SCDHEC failed to publish any hospitalization data for four days as it transitioned to a new reporting system. Now these numbers – like Covid-19 death toll projections for South Carolina – are bouncing all over the map.
As for actual deaths, the last few days have seen a slight uptick in the Covid-19 case fatality rate in South Carolina. This metric had been steadily declining for several weeks, but is now inching its way higher.
We will keep a close eye on that most critical of indicators …
-FITSNews
This news outlet is committed to providing our readers with the very latest, most relevant information we have related to this unfolding global story – and all of the stories we cover. To check out more of our coronavirus coverage, click on the link below …
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