New coronavirus cases leaped in South Carolina in the week ending Sunday, rising 48.7% as 6,038 cases were reported. The previous week had 4,060 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
South Carolina ranked 42nd among the states where the coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 67.6% from the week before, with 843,458 cases reported.
With 1.55% of the country’s population, South Carolina had 0.72% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 48 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Thanksgiving significantly disrupted who got tested, how many people got tested, what labs operated and what government agencies reported on time. Some governments reported three days of data for Thanksgiving week; some reported none.
The reporting of many cases and deaths were shifted from Thanksgiving’s week into last week, making Thanksgiving week artificially low and the latest week artificially high, skewing the week-to-week comparison. These numbers are unreliable even as they’re accurate to what states reported.
Beaufort County reported 118 cases and no deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 78 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 27,718 cases and 317 deaths.
Jasper County reported 11 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 15 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 3,992 cases and 82 deaths.
Within South Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Chesterfield County with 184 cases per 100,000 per week; Lancaster County with 183; and Union County with 179. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Greenville County, with 726 cases; York County, with 473 cases; and Horry County, with 419. Weekly case counts rose in 40 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Greenville, York and Horry counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
South Carolina ranked 36th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 59.3% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 68.8%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.
In the week ending Thursday, South Carolina reported administering another 145,589 vaccine doses, including 45,839 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 88,599 vaccine doses, including 24,734 first doses. In all, South Carolina reported it has administered 6,020,753 total doses.
Across South Carolina, cases fell in five counties, with the best declines in Aiken County, with 162 cases from 170 a week earlier; in Lee County, with 29 cases from 35; and in Jasper County, with 11 cases from 15.
In South Carolina, 83 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 93 people were reported dead.
A total of 921,722 people in South Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 14,272 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 49,085,361 people have tested positive and 788,363 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Dec. 5.
Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Hospitals in 33 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 28 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 45 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
Credit: Original article published here.
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