FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 29, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. —  The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 331 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and 13 additional deaths.

This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 11,131 and those who have died to 483.

Eight of the deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Berkeley (1), Darlington (1), Fairfield (1), Florence (2), Greenville (1), Horry (1) and Spartanburg (1) counties, and five of the deaths occurred in middle-aged individuals from Florence (1), Laurens (1), Lee (1), Saluda (1), and Williamsburg (1) counties.

The number of new cases by county are listed below.
Abbeville (2), Aiken (2), Anderson (8), Beaufort (10), Berkeley (4), Calhoun (1), Charleston (8), Cherokee (1), Chester (3), Chesterfield (11), Clarendon (1), Colleton (6), Darlington (14), Dillon (1), Dorchester (11), Fairfield (5), Florence (16), Georgetown (3), Greenville (75), Greenwood (7), Horry (14), Kershaw (7), Lancaster (3), Laurens (2), Lee (3), Lexington (7), Marion (1), Marlboro (12), Newberry (4), Oconee (1), Orangeburg (7), Pickens (8), Richland (26), Saluda (3), Spartanburg (22), Sumter (6), Williamsburg (2), York (14)

Testing in South Carolina
As of May 28, a total of 194,047 total 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.

Nearly 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 98 mobile testing events scheduled through July 2 with new testing events added regularly. Find a mobile testing clinic event near you at www.scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.

Additionally, there are currently 145 permanent testing locations at health care facilities throughout the state. These testing sites can be found at www.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 tests performed yesterday statewide was 5,361 and the percent positive was 6.2%. 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, 3,209 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,171 are in use, which is a 69.08% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 7,171 inpatient beds currently used, 399 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.

How South Carolinians Can Protect Themselves
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 touching frequently touched items
• Regularly washing your hands
• Monitoring for symptoms

Anyone with concerns about their health should reach out to their healthcare provider or use the telehealth services provided by several health care systems. For telehealth options and the latest information about DHEC’s COVID-19 response efforts, visit www.scdhec.gov/covid19. Visit www.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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