FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 4, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 361 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and seven additional deaths.

This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 13,005 and those who have died to 525.

Six deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Florence (1), Lexington (2), Richland (1), and Spartanburg (2) counties. One death occurred in a middle-age individual from Greenville County.

The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Abbeville (1), Aiken (5), Allendale (1), Anderson (13), Bamberg (4), Barnwell (1), Beaufort (5), Berkeley (10), Calhoun (3), Charleston (32), Cherokee (4), Chesterfield (11), Clarendon (1), Colleton (6), Darlington (3), Dillon (5), Dorchester (8), Edgefield (1), Fairfield (9), Florence (6), Greenville (56), Greenwood (9), Horry (14), Kershaw (3), Lancaster (4), Laurens (4), Lee (3), Lexington (26), Marion (1), Marlboro (4), Newberry (3), Orangeburg (15), Pickens (2), Richland (39), Spartanburg (35), Sumter (6), Williamsburg (2), York (6)

Testing in South Carolina
As of June 3, a total of 238,808 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 116 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.

Additionally, there are currently 168 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 6,588 and the percent positive was 5.5%. 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, 2,969 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,390 are in use, which is a 71.34% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 7,390 inpatient beds currently used, 453 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/COVID19. 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.

###