COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina health officials announced Saturday that 74 more people have died of the coronavirus, the highest number since July according to officials' daily reports.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control also reported 3,111 new COVID-19 cases.
The 74 deaths match the highest number of deaths that DHEC has announced in its daily coronavirus report since the virus hit South Carolina. On July 25, DHEC also reported 74 people dying from the virus.
Most of the deaths occurred between Dec. 14 and Dec. 23, DHEC data show. Seven of the deaths occurred in November and were only recently confirmed to be caused by the coronavirus.
DHEC has logged more than 3,000 daily cases five times and at least 2,000 daily cases for more than 21 days in December alone.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March, the state has documented totals of 266,678 COVID-19 cases and 4,736 deaths.
South Carolina's health agency also reported 151 new probable cases and 7 new probable deaths on Saturday. In total, the agency has reported 122,214 probable cases and 388 probable deaths.
DHEC defines a probable case as someone who has had a positive antigen test or has virus symptoms and is at high risk of infection. Probable deaths are those where the death certificate lists COVID-19 as the cause of or a contributing factor to death, but the person was not tested for the virus.
Many South Carolinians still remain hospitalized. The day after Christmas, 1,758 South Carolinians are hospitalized with COVID-19, making up nearly 22.5% of inpatients statewide.
State health officials said 21.6% of the 14,427 tests reported Saturday came back positive.
Elevated percent-positive rates indicate that more people are likely to be infected with COVID-19 in the community who have not yet been tested, and that testing may need to be ramped up. The World Health Organization earlier this year advised governments not to lift restrictions until percent positive rates were at 5% or lower for at least 14 days.
Nearly 43,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in South Carolina last week, with the state expecting more than 30,000 doses this week, according to DHEC. As of Tuesday, roughly 20,000 South Carolinians, mostly front line health care workers, had received the first round of doses, the agency said.
Residents and staff of long-term care facilities, who are being vaccinated exclusively with the Moderna vaccine, should start receiving their first doses next week, according to DHEC. Others who are at increased risk of contracting the virus or are at high risk of experiencing severe complications from it will be prioritized for vaccination over the next several months.
In the meantime, state health officials have advised South Carolinians to continue taking measures to mitigate spread of COVID-19 such as wearing masks, avoiding group gatherings and practicing physical distancing.
DHEC urges anyone who is symptomatic or who has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 to get tested themselves, and recommends routine monthly testing for anyone who is out and about in the community, even if they show no symptoms.
To find a testing location near you, visit DHEC's website at scdhec.gov/covid19/covid-19-testing-locations.
How are hospitals being impacted?
As of Saturday, 1,758 South Carolinians remain hospitalized with COVID-19.
Of those hospitalized with the virus Thursday, 357 patients were in intensive care units and 176 were on ventilators.
But not all of the state's hospitals had reported updates on Saturday, according to DHEC. Of the 89 hospitals, 69 had reported on the number of patients with coronavirus.
Earlier in the week, five Upstate health centers reported that their ICUs were stretched almost to capacity. A Prisma Health physician said Monday that the number of COVID-19 patients at the system's four Midlands hospitals had risen about 50% since Thanksgiving, but that they still had adequate capacity and resources.
Total hospital bed occupancy and ICU bed occupancy has remained at nearly 80% since early December.
In Richland County, 62.9% of hospital beds are occupied Thursday, and in Lexington County, 77.4% of beds are taken, data show.
Which counties are affected?
The Upstate is experiencing the worst of the coronavirus surge.
On Saturday, Greenville County again led all counties with 531 new COVID-19 cases. Spartanburg County had 199, Pickens County 149 and Anderson County 138.
COVID-19 cases in the Midlands are below the Upstate's numbers, but also have surged in recent weeks. Richland County had 205 new cases and Lexington County 174. York County also reported a higher-than-usual case county with 237.
The number of positive tests in the state's Pee Dee region is below the Upstate and the Midlands, but is rising, showing Florence with 92 new cases and Horry with 162 new virus cases Saturday.
In the Lowcountry, Charleston had 112 new COVID-19 cases and Dorchester had 123 on Saturday. Beaufort had 76 new cases.
Of the 74 confirmed deaths reported Thursday, 58 were reported among elderly South Carolinians (65 and older), and 16 victims were middle-aged (35-64), according to DHEC.
South Carolinians of all ages have died after contracting COVID-19, but the disease has taken the greatest toll on 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, data show.
The total deaths — confirmed and probable — reported Thursday by DHEC included one person in each of Abbeville, Charleston, Chester, Colleton, Dillion, Fairfield, Hampton, Kershaw, Laurens, Newberry and Sumter counties.
Other counties reporting confirmed or probable deaths are: Aiken (7), Anderson (7), Darlington (2), Dorchester (3), Florence (3), Georgetown (4), Greenville (5), Horry (7), Lexington (7), Marion (2), Oconee (2), Pickens (3), Richland (3), Spartanburg (6), Union (2), York (6).
How is COVID-19 trending in SC?
Although the majority of South Carolinians recover from COVID-19 after their diagnosis, the state's daily case rates are still up almost 96% in the past month and are the highest they've ever been.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have topped 1,000 statewide for the past three weeks, according to DHEC.
And the number of people being tested across the state has shot up over the past 30 days, with an average of 222 tests per 100,000 individuals performed daily in the last month, a 40% increase from the month prior, data show.
An average of almost 20% of those tests have come back positive in the past 30 days.
Overall, more than 3.4 million tests have been conducted in South Carolina.
