DHEC: Approximately 6,500 viral cases in SC due to increased death to 267

South Carolina, Colombia — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environment (DHEC) today announced new 226 cases of the new coronavirus COVID-19 and 11 additional deaths.

This brought the total number of confirmed COVID-19s in South Carolina to 6,489 and 267 deaths.

Nine people were killed in the elderly in the Edgefield (1), Florence (1), Greenville (1), Lawrence (1), Lee (1), Lexington (1), and Richland (3) counties. Two of the deaths occurred in middle-aged individuals in Richland (1) and Sumter (1) counties.

The number of new cases by county is as follows.

Aiken (4), Anderson (5), Bamberg (2), Barnwell (1), Beaufort (1), Charleston (3), Chester (2), Chesterfield (1), Clarendon (4), Darlington ( 5), Dillon (13), Dorchester (1), Edgefield (2), Fairfield (5), Florence (4), Georgetown (1), Greenville (20), Greenwood (4), Car Show (6), Lancaster (1), Lee (2), Lexington (43), Marion (1), Marlborough (3), Newbury (1), Orangeburg (4), Richland (33), Saluda ( 11), Spartanburg (8), Sumter (18), Williamsburg (12), York (5)

The DHEC COVID-19 web page is Map of positive cases In addition to the latest recommendations for protection from COVID-19.

DHEC Launches Public Service Announcement Campaign It calls for the support of local and state influencers to encourage residents to play their part in stopping the spread of COVID-19. The campaign also aims to raise awareness among groups at high risk of serious illness from this condition, such as the elderly and African Americans.

Current PSA video Features James Cleburne, Col. Mayor Steve Benjamin, and Dr. Linda Bell, DHEC state epidemiologist.

Hospital bed capacity

As of this morning, 6,573 hospital beds are available, 4,824 are in use, and hospital bed occupancy is 57.7% across the state. Of the 6,573 beds currently in use, 370 are either positive or occupied by patients under investigation for COVID-19.

Testing in South Carolina

As of May 2, the DHEC Institute of Public Health has conducted 16,320 tests on COVID-19. Of these tests, 2,191 were positive and 14,129 were negative. A total of 61,616 total tests were conducted in the state by both the DHEC Public Health Institute and Private Laboratories. The DHEC Public Health Laboratory is up and running for 7 days a week. The current public health laboratory timeframe for providing results to healthcare providers is 24-48 hours.

Cases by county and zip code

DHEC Interactive map Updated to include the latest confirmed and estimated COVID-19 cases by county and zip code. Estimated Cases represents all known cases of COVID-19, based on the evidence that there may be up to 9 people with a virus that remains unidentified in the community. By including estimates, we want to better communicate the risk of disease spreading within the community.

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How South Carolinas Protect themselves

According to the DHEC, there is growing evidence that people who are asymptomatic and who do not know they are infected have a higher infection rate. This can cause everyone to be infected by the virus or unknowingly infect others.

South Carolinas are encouraged to stay at home and minimize contact with people outside the household to prevent the spread of illness.

Other steps that the public should take are:

• Social distance practice
• Wearing a mask in public
• Avoid touching frequently touched items
• Wash your hands regularly
• Monitor for symptoms

If you are concerned about your health, you should contact your healthcare provider or use telehealth services provided by some healthcare systems. For the latest information on telemedicine options and DHEC’s COVID-19 compliance efforts, please visit: scdhec.gov/COVID-19.

Visit scdmh.net S.C. Department of Mental Health Resources for Stress, Anxiety and Mental Health.

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