SC reports 3,715 new cases of COVID-19, 33 of which died Wednesday

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 2,659 new confirmed cases and 1,056 new probable cases of the virus for a total of 3,715. These numbers are accurate as of August 23rd.

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The difference between confirmed and probable cases is based on the type of evidence a person receives. Probable cases are treated as doctor-confirmed cases, DHEC says.

To see confirmed and probable cases by county, click or tap here.

DHEC reported On Wednesday, 27 confirmed deaths and six new probable deaths were confirmed.

DHEC no longer gives a death date for these reports, alleging that it violates the privacy of the deceased due to the decrease in COVID-19 deaths across the state.

The agency has also stopped sharing the age range of those who have died every day from COVID-19, but on Tuesday they publish weekly reports with this information.

Click or tap here to view the latest weekly death report, including counties and age ranges, August 15-22.

Although new COVID-19 cases declined in South Carolina in June, cases have increased since mid-July.

THE LAST

Hospitalizations in the state are also increasing, with dozens of new people hospitalized every day with COVID-19.

“While deaths from COVID-19 are declining due to life-saving vaccines available, cases and hospitalizations are currently on the rise in South Carolina, as in many other states, because a large number of the population remains unvaccinated. “DHEC officials wrote on the agency’s website. “We urge all South Carolinians to protect themselves and others through the COVID-19 vaccine if they have not already done so. Vaccines are how we will definitely end the COVID-19 pandemic.”

A recent review of DHEC data suggests that people who are not fully vaccinated account for almost all hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

Vaccines are available statewide.

VACCINES AGAINST COVID-19

All people over the age of 12 in South Carolina are eligible to receive a vaccine against COVID-19.

For more details and to make an appointment, click or tap here.

As of Aug. 24, DHEC reported that South Carolina residents eligible for the vaccine:

55.5% have received at least one vaccine: 2,384,551 people
46.8% are completely vaccinated: 2,009,574 people

POSITIVE PERCENTAGE FOLLOW-UP

The positive percentage refers to the number of people who test positive for COVID-19 in relation to the number of tests being performed.

DHEC says the positive percentage of the 18,736 molecular tests most recently reported was 18.6% (excluding antibody tests).

COVID-19 TESTS

DHEC encourages everyone outside the community to do routine testing, at least every month.

Click or tap here to find test locations.

HOSPITALIZATIONS COVID-19

As of Monday, the US Department of Health and Human Services says 83.52% of hospital beds in South Carolina are in use, while 83.9% of ICU beds.

There are 2,152 hospitalized patients who have COVID-19, which accounts for 20.36% of hospital beds used for COVID-19, HHS reported. Of these patients, 516 are in the ICU. HHS reports that 39.81% of ICU beds are used for COVID-19.

As of Aug. 25, DHEC reported 2,009 fans available in the state, with 727 in use. Patients with COVID-19 account for 311.

NOTE: DHEC now only updates its inpatient dashboard once a week, which is why WIS now relies on HHS data for a daily hospitalization report. Fan numbers will be updated weekly on Tuesdays.

Click here for more information on hospital bed occupancy by county.

For information on nursing homes and long-term care centers affected by the virus, click or tap here.

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths among those not fully vaccinated

On July 8, 2021, DHEC began reporting data on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and vaccination deaths.

The agency will continue to analyze the data it has and report results every two weeks to keep South Carolina informed about the benefits and limitations of vaccinations.

As of August 17, the analysis revealed more than 90% of COVID-19 cases and deaths in June and 86% of hospitalizations were from people who were not fully vaccinated. DHEC has determined similar rates from July 1-31.

This analysis shows:

The DHEC reported 26,848 cases among South Carolinians.

Among the 14,262 reported cases in which we were able to determine the status of the vaccine, 12,491 (88%) of the cases were considered not to have been completely vaccinated.
Among the 550 reported cases that were hospitalized with COVID and where we were able to determine the status of the vaccine, 424 (77%) were considered not to be fully vaccinated.
Among the 110 deaths reported by COVID where the status of the vaccine could be determined, 87 (79%) were considered not to be fully vaccinated.

Click here for more information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths of people who are not fully vaccinated

MONITORING OF MIS-C AND VIRUS VARIANTS

DHEC has a dashboard that shows the number of cases of Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 in South Carolina.

It also shows how many cases of different variants have been found in the state, by type.

As of August 18, there were 488 reported cases of the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 in South Carolina. However, health officials say there are likely to be more delta variant cases in the state. DHEC only sends a random sample of positive tests to look for variants.

KEY INDICATORS OF COVID-19 A SC

The DHEC Key Indicator Dashboard is shown below. It is intended to provide an “overview at a glance” of important data points used to measure the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

Shows trends in cases, tests, deaths, hospitalizations and more.

DHEC says all of these factors need to be considered when evaluating the spread of COVID-19 in South Carolina.

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