DHEC reports more than 1,000 cases of COVID in a week. How does Delta variant factor?
For the second consecutive week, South Carolina had an increase in new coronavirus cases reported by the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The percent of positive tests, an indicator of virus spread, also rose above the CDC’s low level.
DHEC reported 1,097 new cases of coronavirus from July 5 to July 9, up from 841 cases reported a week earlier.
That’s an average of about 219 reported cases a day.
DHEC is now reporting new COVID-19 data Monday through Friday.
The increase comes as The State reported that 94% of new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in unvaccinated people. Unvaccinated people also account for the vast majority of people who are hospitalized with COVID-19 or die of the disease.
The last time SC had more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases was the week of June 6 to 11.
Five deaths were reported by DHEC in the past week in South Carolina.
The percent of positive tests also increased. From July 5 to July 9, the percentage of positive tests reported was 5% compared with 2.6% the previous week.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a positivity rate consistently below 5% means the virus spread is slowing in a community.
The increases come as state public health officials warn that South Carolina could experience a surge in coronavirus cases because of the combination of low vaccination rates and the encroaching Delta variant of the virus.
But DHEC data shows that the Delta variant hasn’t spread far in South Carolina. Only 12 cases of the Delta variant have been found in the state as of July 7, compared to 1,027 of the Alpha variants. In all, 1,333 of the five variants of coronavirus have been diagnosed.
Almost 20,000 more people were reported to have completed vaccination as of July 7, the last day reported by DHEC. Nearly 1.85 million people are vaccinated in South Carolina. That’s about 43% of the state’s residents.
As of Tuesday, the last day of reporting, 127 people were hospitalized in the state with coronavirus. That’s up from 124 the previous week.
At least 598,918 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina and 9,846 have died since March 2020, according to DHEC.
DHEC has launched its “Shot and a Chaser” campaign in partnership with the South Carolina Brewers Guild. The campaign will reward anyone who gets a COVID-19 shot at select breweries across the state with a free beer or soda, the agency said.
To learn how to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, visit The State’s website.
