South Carolina is emerging as a COVID-19 hotspot as hospitalization increases and the virus spreads

Internal reports warn of an increase in incidents, especially after travelers hit the coast.

By Olivia Rubin and Lucien Bruggeman

ABC News – As the coronavirus pandemic continues to strike across the country, South Carolina is addressing its own emerging crisis with daily case records resembling noteworthy hotspots in the South and West. , Some local health authorities have a surge plan ready when the hospital is overwhelmed.

“It’s not much better than Florida or Texas,” Dr. Helmut Albrecht, director of internal medicine at Prisma Health, the state’s largest nonprofit medical institution, told ABC News. “It’s not a blast yet-weekly is worse than last. I don’t think we can set a new record anymore.”

Ah Harvard Global Health Institute The tool used to track the severity of the outbreak recently ranked the third state in the country in terms of risk level, after Florida and Arizona, and the data show the virus is slowing down. Indicates that it is not. A data analysis by ABC News found that the state had three major categories increasing: case, hospitalization, and death.

An internal state report, obtained by ABC News, warned of hotspots and an increasing number of cases across the state, with a particular focus on southern coastal counties, a trend reflected in Harvard Tracker.

For example, Charleston County warns, “there are no signs that the incident will slow down.” According to a report dated July 4, in Holly County, home of the popular tourist destination Myrtle Beach, “cases continue to increase and are due to extensive travel to the area,” the report said. States.

“New hotspots continue to be developed. Once a week, continuous hotspots have become the norm,” he says.

Dr. Rick Foster, a former head of the alliance for a healthier South Carolina, a coalition of public health leaders, reflected that sentiment, and the influx of tourists both in and out of the state Suggested that it likely exacerbated the uplift along the state coast.

South Carolina experts say basic but significant issues with testing and contact tracking make it difficult for state authorities and health care providers to keep up with the rapid spread of the virus. ..

“I think we need to significantly improve our testing capabilities,” said Albrecht. “Currently, we are lagging behind from commercial and public health laboratories.”

Albrecht lamented that virus test turnaround times were slow-on average for a week-not usable.

“By that time, you have 3-5 patients, not just the ones you deal with,” continued Albrecht. “We weren’t able to spike the test supply as much as Nature was able to spike the incident. The more cases we have, the more testing we need to do. there is no.”

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Management did not respond on Tuesday to ABC News’s request for comments on the report.

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South Carolina was one of the first states to reopen on April 24, but Republican governor Henry McMaster did not close the state altogether and reopened without the White House’s recommendation. Guidelines.. Also, states do not have masking authority. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended It slows the spread of the virus. McMaster’s office did not provide comments on this report when it reached the end of Tuesday.

McMaster has previously defended his approach to combating pandemics. “There will be ups and downs,” McMaster said at a news conference on May 28, according to local news. To report.. “But the efforts we are making in South Carolina are strong, thorough, and well-thought-out, and we hope to be so recognized and successful.”

But now state internal reports warn that the state is “beginning to feel the strain of the hospital.” On Tuesday, 1,324 people were hospitalized in the state, a new record.

Dr. Christinker, a professor at the Medical College of South Carolina, said he was “concerned” that the inflow of hospitalization was partly due to the carelessness of the community. She said the beach was overflowing and citizens were maskless for weeks.

“Now there’s a lot of community out there,” Kerr said. “People don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know how many people are infected.”

According to Melanie Matney, Chief Operating Officer of the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA), hospital capacity across the state is now stable at 69%, with ICU capacity of 72%. Matney said these numbers are adequate for the time being, but health care providers and health care providers are “very careful” to monitor these numbers. Matney also added that some hospitals reported higher capacities on their own.

Due to the increasing number of cases, SCHA said it may soon implement a so-called surge plan, which was developed in case of an emergency in April. She said health officials were “expecting” to increase the incident after the weekend of July 4, just as it was after Labor Day.

Matney said a surge plan that could be implemented in a few days would activate the state-wide site as an overflow facility for healthcare facilities. These include several hotels and the University of South Carolina Volleyball Center. These are used by less ill patients to make room for important patients in the hospital.

As hospitalization continues to increase, Matney said “main concerns” remain staffing concerns. According to the state Department of Health, nearly 2,300 health workers have tested positive for COVID-19. Matney said the SCHA Surge program could revitalize nursing students and out-of-state nurses to help hospitals.

“It’s very complicated because it’s sick or quarantined because of exposure,” Matney said.

Tidelands Health is a small healthcare system based in a community near the coast, and staffing struggles are a top priority. According to Bruce Bailey, president and CEO of Tidelands Health, at least 42 staff have tested positive for the virus. This is a situation that has exacerbated the challenges of treating influx of patients.

“our [emergency rooms] Mr. Bailey has reached capacity and many are staffed. We just have nurses and doctors manage the surge in patients.” “We have bed availability, ventilation, and [personal protective equipment]But the real challenge is finding enough nurses, doctors, and specialists to handle the surge in demand. “

Last week, Tidelands Health contacted the National Guard for staff support and assistance. According to Bailey, no plans have been made, but negotiations will continue this week.

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