COLUMBIA, S.C. — More than 2,700 new cases of COVID-19 and 76 new deaths were confirmed Sunday in South Carolina by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Health officials confirmed 2,735 new positive tests.
Since testing began last March, 426,580 cases of the coronavirus and 7,149 deaths have been reported in South Carolina.
Sunday's data is based on 38,842 tests, and the percent of tests coming back positive was 11.4%, according to DHEC. Sunday's ratio is significantly lower than the Jan. 7 percent positive of 34.2%, which is the record for highest in a single day, but that is partially because of a change DHEC made in the way the percent positive is calculated.
The single-day record of 226 deaths was reported Jan. 28.
The most new cases in a single day were the 6,824 positive tests from Jan. 8. No other single-day report has surpassed 5,000 new positive tests.
Since Dec. 27, there have been 10 days with more than 4,000 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in a single day, the data show. Prior to the surge in December and January, the previous single-day record was 2,343 cases confirmed on July 18.
Sunday marked the 90th consecutive day that more than 1,000 positive tests were confirmed in South Carolina, dating back to Nov. 16 when DHEC reported 981 new cases. Health officials reported more than 3,000 daily cases 27 times, and 61 of the past 74 days have seen more than 2,000 positive tests confirmed, the data show.
Health officials said Sunday that South Carolina had received 970,550 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine and that 642,920 of those doses had been administered.
The majority of the doses received, or 532,550, are Pfizer-BioNTech doses that have gone to front-line health care workers and community first responders. Of those vaccinations administered, 347,089 have been first doses, while 127,606 more are second doses, according to DHEC.
The other 253,700 are Moderna doses that, until recently, had been reserved for long-term care facility residents and staff. To date, 94,2005 first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, and another 2,883 second doses have been given, data show.
Another 450,521 people have made appointments for vaccinations.
Anyone eligible to receive a vaccine who would like to get one can use DHEC's locator tool to find a provider with availability at www.scdhec.gov/vaxlocator. For those without internet access, DHEC recently launched a phone line — (866) 365-8110 — where operators are available every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to help people searching for information about vaccine providers.
State health officials advise South Carolinians to continue taking measures to mitigate spread of COVID-19 as the vaccination rollout progresses in the months ahead.
DHEC urges anyone who is symptomatic or who has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 to get tested and recommends routine monthly testing for anyone who is out and about, even if they are asymptomatic.
To find a testing location near you, visit DHEC's website at scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-testing-locations.
Overall, 5,504,311 tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
Even as COVID-19 cases decline in all regions of the state, the Upstate region continues to outpace all other South Carolina regions in its daily number of coronavirus cases.
Greenville County, the state's most populous county, reported 424 new cases Sunday, and nearby Spartanburg County had 191 more, with an additional 144 in neighboring Anderson County, according to DHEC. Charleston County had the second-most new cases confirmed Sunday, with 242.
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are also elevated, and Richland County reported 165 new cases, fifth most in South Carolina, and Lexington County reported 134 more positive tests.
That brings the number of confirmed cases in Richland County to 34,409 and in Lexington County to 23,092.
COVID-19 has taken the greatest toll on South Carolina's elderly residents.
The average age of all South Carolinians who have died from coronavirus complications is 75, and the vast majority of those who died — 87% — were over 60, the data shows.
Of the deaths reported Sunday, 61 were elderly (65 and older) and 15 were middle-aged (35-64) people, health officials said.
Overall, 425 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Richland County, while the death toll increased to 381 in Lexington County, according to DHEC.
The number of people hospitalized statewide for COVID-19 Sunday was 1,269, the 13th day in a row the total decreased.
It was the 17th consecutive day of fewer than 2,000 people with COVID-19 being cared for in a South Carolina hospital, following 30 days in a row in which 2,000-plus coronavirus patients were hospitalized, according to health officials.
Prior to the recent winter surge, hospitalizations for COVID-19 previously peaked at 1,723 on July 23, according to DHEC.
Coronavirus patients made up 14.4% of all reported inpatients in South Carolina on Sunday, data show.
Nearly 25% of COVID-19 patients, or 313 people, are in intensive care units, and 14.5%, or 184 patients, are on ventilators.
Of the 13,424 hospital beds available in South Carolina, 8,804 inpatient beds are currently occupied, health officials said. There are currently 1,319 of 1,739 ICU beds occupied, or 75.8%, according to DHEC.
In Richland County, 787 hospital beds are occupied (72.1%), while 441 of 541 hospital beds in Lexington County (81.5%) are occupied, according to DHEC.
Across the country, health experts said official case counts have likely undercounted the number of coronavirus cases to large degrees. At one point, South Carolina officials estimated that 86% of those infected never got tested or diagnosed, but they no longer provide those estimates.
DHEC also has been recording probable cases and probable deaths. A probable case is someone who has not received a lab test result but has virus symptoms or a positive antibody test. A probable death is someone who has not gotten a lab test but whose death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause of death or a contributing factor.
On Sunday, DHEC reported 261 new probable COVID-19 cases in the state and 11 new probable deaths. That puts the total number of probable cases at 60,713 and total probable deaths at 849.
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(Staff reported Lou Bezjak contributed to this story.)
