FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 1, 2020
 
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 297 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and six additional deaths.

This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 12,148 and those who have died to 500. 

All six deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Colleton (2), Fairfield (2), Horry (1), and Lexington (1) counties. 

The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Abbeville (2), Aiken (9), Allendale (1), Anderson (2), Barnwell (2), Beaufort (4), Berkeley (2), Calhoun (1), Charleston (19), Cherokee (4), Chester (3), Chesterfield (4), Colleton (3), Darlington (4), Dillon (1), Dorchester (5), Fairfield (4), Florence (20), Georgetown (3), Greenville (73), Greenwood (5), Hampton (1), Horry (22), Kershaw (6), Lancaster (5), Laurens (1), Lee (2), Lexington (13), Marion (2), Marlboro (2), Oconee (4), Orangeburg (12), Pickens (6), Richland (13), Saluda (3), Spartanburg (20), Sumter (2), Williamsburg (2), York (10)

DHEC, SCEMD Encourage COVID-19 Safety During Hurricane Season 
This hurricane season, DHEC and the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) are encouraging South Carolinians to remember four simple words – Time, Space, People, and Place. 

• Time: give yourself time to prepare for a hurricane. Have a plan before you go out to get supplies so you spend less time interacting with others who may be infected. Do not wait until the last minute.
• Space: make safe social distancing a part of every aspect of your hurricane planning, whether it’s stocking up on hurricane supplies or deciding where you will go if you need to evacuate. Do everything you can to stay at least 6 feet away from people you do not live with. 
• People: make sure all the people in your family know what to do to stay healthy. Remember, the more people your family interacts with, the greater your chances of contracting and possibly transmitting COVID-19.
• Place: know where you will go once the evacuation order is issued for your area. Staying in a hotel or with family or friends far inland are the best options to protect yourself from COVID-19 and the storm.

DHEC and SCEMD recommend residents include COVID-19 safety precautions when making or updating their hurricane preparedness plan. To download a digital copy of the 2020 South Carolina Hurricane Guide, visit scemd.org.

Testing in South Carolina
As of May 31, a total of 210,826 tests have been conducted in the state (by both DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory and private labs). DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory is operating extended hours and is testing specimens seven days a week. The Public Health Laboratory’s current timeframe for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours.

Over 100 Mobile Testing Clinics Scheduled Statewide
As part of our ongoing efforts to increase testing in underserved and rural communities across the state, DHEC is working with community partners to set up mobile testing clinics that bring testing to these communities. Currently, there are 104 mobile testing events scheduled through July 2 with new testing events added regularly. Find a mobile testing clinic event near you at scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.

Upcoming DHEC free mobile testing events for June 2, include:
•    10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Hannah-Pamlico Elementary/Middle School, 2131 S. Pamplico Hwy., Pamplico, SC 29583, partnership with McLeod Health
•    2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Tidelands Health at the Market Common, 2200 Crow Lane, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, partnership with Tidelands Health
•    9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Greenville Convention Center, 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville, SC 29607, partnership with Upstate Healthcare Coalition
•    9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cherokee Medical Center, 1530 N. Limestone Street, Gaffney, SC 29340, partnership with ReGenesis HealthCare*

*ReGenesis Healthcare partner events are by appointment only. Individuals must schedule an appointment via portal at myrhc.org/COVID19. 

Additionally, there are currently 166 permanent testing locations at health care facilities throughout the state. These testing sites can be found at scdhec.gov/covid19testing.

Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 Cases
As South Carolina increases testing, there will likely be more laboratory-confirmed cases. The total number of individuals tested yesterday statewide was 3,845 and the percent positive was 7.7%. When the percent positive is low, it may indicate that more widespread testing is being performed and the percent positive may more accurately reflect how much disease is present in the community.

Hospital Bed Occupancy
As of this morning, 3,760 inpatient hospital beds are available and 6,610 are in use, which is a 63.74% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 6,610 inpatient beds currently used, 450 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.

For the latest information related to COVID-19 visit scdhec.gov/COVID-19. Visit scdmh.net for stress, anxiety and mental health resources from the S.C. Department of Mental Health.

*As new information is provided to the department, some changes in cases may occur. Cases are reported based on the person’s county of residence, as it is provided to the department. DHEC’s COVID-19 map will adjust to reflect any reclassified cases.