FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 15, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 232 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and nine additional deaths.

This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 8,407 and those who have died to 380.

Eight of those deaths occurred in elderly individuals in Cherokee (1), Clarendon (1), Fairfield (1), Florence (1), Pickens (1) and Sumter (3), counties, and one of the deaths occurred in a middle-aged individual in Clarendon County (1).

The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Aiken (2), Allendale (1), Anderson (1) Barnwell (2), Beaufort (4), Berkeley (2), Charleston (11), Chester (1), Cherokee (1), Chesterfield (3), Clarendon (8), Colleton (7), Darlington (13), Dillon (2), Fairfield (12), Florence (18), Greenville (31), Greenwood (1), Hampton (1), Horry (6), Kershaw (4), Lancaster (2), Laurens (7), Lee (4), Lexington (13), Marion (1), Marlboro (5), Oconee (1), Pickens (2), Richland (18), Saluda (4), Spartanburg (17), Sumter (13), Williamsburg (6), York (8)

More than 50 Mobile Testing Clinics Scheduled Statewide
Yesterday, DHEC partnered with Saluda Regional Medical Center for a free COVID-19 mobile testing clinic where 375 residents were tested, and today 11 testing events are happening around the state. Currently, there are 58 mobile testing events scheduled through June 5 with new mobile clinics regularly added. To find a free testing event near you, visit www.scdhec.gov/covid19testing.

DHEC and SCHA Thank South Carolina Healthcare Heroes during National Hospital Week
DHEC and South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) encourage all South Carolinians to recognize our state’s healthcare heroes during National Hospital Week, May 10-16. As hospitals continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, their skilled staff and healthcare professionals are working tirelessly to prevent the spread of the virus while providing critical care to our state’s COVID-19 patients.
South Carolina has 94 licensed hospitals staffed with nurses, doctors, practitioners, and a variety of staff members who provide essential medical care and services to patients. Read more about our state’s healthcare heroes here.   

Hospital Bed Occupancy
As of this morning, 3,405 inpatient hospital beds are available and 6,970 are in use, which is a 67.18% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 6,970 inpatient beds currently used, 423 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.

Testing in South Carolina
As of May 14, DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory has conducted 23,980 tests for COVID-19. Of these tests, 2,963 were positive and 21,017 were negative. A total of 109,616 total tests by both DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory and private labs have been conducted in the state. 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.

*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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