FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 31, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced 312 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and 7 additional deaths.

This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 11,861 and those who have died to 494.

All seven deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Anderson (1), Chester (1), Colleton (1), Darlington (1), Hampton (1), Marlboro (1), and York (1).

The number of new cases by county are listed below. Abbeville (2), Aiken (2), Anderson (4), Beaufort (9), Berkeley (2), Calhoun (1), Charleston (12), Cherokee (3), Chesterfield (15), Colleton (4), Darlington (11), Dillon (3), Dorchester (2), Fairfield (2), Florence (11), Georgetown (1), Greenville (89), Greenwood (7), Hampton (1), Horry (15), Jasper (1), Kershaw (3), Lancaster (3), Lee (2), Lexington (11), Marion (1), Marlboro (10), Newberry (1), Orangeburg (9), Pickens (8), Richland (28), Spartanburg (23), Sumter (6), Williamsburg (3), York (7)

*Note: 154 cases that should have been reported in yesterday's positive case counts were not updated from suspected to confirmed cases in our database by the time yesterday's news release was issued. An additional quality check of yesterday's positive case numbers revealed the omission of these cases in the daily reporting total. The corrected total of positive cases for yesterday (May 30) has been updated to 420. Please see corrected county breakdowns below for May 30.

Abbeville (1), Aiken (4), Anderson (1), Bamberg (1), Barnwell (2) Beaufort (16), Berkeley (3), Calhoun (3), Charleston (22), Cherokee (2), Chester (18), Chesterfield (13), Clarendon (6), Colleton (8), Darlington (8), Dillon (6), Dorchester (3), Fairfield (9), Florence (7), Georgetown (2), Greenville (69), Greenwood (7), Horry (7), Jasper (2), Kershaw (5), Lancaster (3), Laurens (2), Lee (5), Lexington (38), Marlboro (12), McCormick (1), Newberry (7), Orangeburg (14), Pickens (12), Richland (30), Saluda (3), Spartanburg (36), Sumter (13), Union (1), Williamsburg (4), York (14)

South Carolinians Reminded to Take Actions to Limit Spread of COVID-19 As restrictions are reduced by reopenings, DHEC reminds South Carolinians of the importance of practicing proper health and safety steps to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

We realize that what we are asking everyone to continue to do is not easy. But what we’re calling on South Carolinians to do by continuing to practice social distancing, wearing a mask while in public, and limiting their close contacts is critical to controlling the spread of this virus, and ultimately, saving lives.

DHEC thanks all South Carolinians for their individual efforts to socially distance and take the other recommended precautions for protecting themselves and others.

Testing in South Carolina As of May 30, a total of 206,247 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 1, include:

• 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

Additionally, there are currently 162 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

5,758 and the percent positive was 5.4%. 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.

*Note: The total number of individuals tested May 29 statewide was 4,917. With the 154 additional cases being reported for May 30, the percent positive reported yesterday has been updated to 8.5%.

Hospital Bed Occupancy As of this morning, 3,798 inpatient hospital beds are available and 6,566 are in use, which is a 63.35% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 6, 566 inpatient beds currently used, 402 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.

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