FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 20, 2020

 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has exceeded its monthly COVID-19 testing goal for the month of July by performing 143,336 tests from July 1 through July 16, surpassing the target of 140,000 tests.

To date, DHEC and partners have held 503 free testing events across the state since May, and a total of 638,194 tests have been performed in South Carolina. There are currently 89 mobile testing events scheduled through August 15 with new testing events added regularly, and there are 182 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state.

Mobile testing clinics are updated daily at scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics and permanent testing locations are available at scdhec.gov/covid19testing.

Daily COVID-19 Update (July 20, 2020) 

DHEC today announced 1,445 new confirmed cases and two new probable cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, 9 additional confirmed deaths and no new probable deaths. 

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 71,213, probable cases to 232, confirmed deaths to 1,147 and 17 probable deaths. 

Eight of the deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Charleston (1), Greenville (1), Hampton (1), Horry (2), Orangeburg (2), and Richland (1) counties and one middle-aged individual from Spartanburg (1) County.

Confirmed:  Abbeville (52), Aiken (18), Allendale (3), Anderson (43), Bamberg (8), Barnwell (7), Beaufort (33), Berkeley (35), Calhoun (8), Charleston (188), Cherokee (17), Chester (10), Chesterfield (11), Clarendon (5), Colleton (5), Darlington (20), Dillon (5), Dorchester (73), Edgefield (3), Fairfield (9), Florence (74), Georgetown (20), Greenville (174), Greenwood (24), Hampton (3), Horry (61), Jasper (4), Kershaw (15), Lancaster (13), Laurens (19), Lee (3), Lexington (45), Marion (12), Marlboro (2), McCormick (1), Newberry (13), Oconee (10), Orangeburg (30), Pickens (28), Richland (177), Saluda (7), Spartanburg (73), Sumter (10), Union (5), Williamsburg (21), York (48)

Probable: Kershaw (1), Richland (1)

Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 Cases
The total number of individual test results reported to DHEC yesterday statewide was 8,186 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 17.7%.

Hospital Bed Occupancy
The CDC notified all users of its National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) on Tuesday, July 14, that the COVID-19 Module for Patient Impact and Hospital Capacity would cease serving as an option for hospital reporting during this pandemic. DHEC issued a Public Health Order supporting the transition from NHSN to TeleTracking on July 15. 

Hospitals are actively making the transition and DHEC is monitoring their efforts. During this transition, the information currently provided by hospitals is incomplete and, therefore, inaccurate. Once DHEC is able to verify the information the hospitals are reporting as part of this new reporting requirement is accurate and the system is fully implemented, we will resume our effort to provide daily data reports.

How South Carolinians Can Stop the Spread
Evidence is increasing about the high rates of infection in people who do not have symptoms and don’t know they are infectious. This places everyone at risk of getting the virus or unknowingly transmitting it to someone else. Steps we can take to protect ourselves and others include:

• Practicing social distancing
• Wearing a mask in public
• Avoiding group gatherings
• Regularly washing your hands
• Staying home if sick

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.

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