COLUMBIA — Pickens County’s confirmed COVID-19 cases have been skyrocketing alongside the numbers across the state, as the county’s caseload grew by nearly 300 over the past week.
The county has had double-digit case increases every day over the past week, including a single-day record of 66 reported cases on June 24. According to the latest numbers released Monday by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the county was up to 805 confirmed cases, an increase of 276 confirmed cases over the 529 reported on the same day a week ago.
After hovering near the bottom among the state’s 46 counties in rate of infection for much of the spring, the county has also climbed those rankings and now sits at 24th highest with a rate of 634.44 cases per 100,000 residents. Pickens County has had four virus-related deaths during the pandemic.
According to Monday’s figures, DHEC officials reported an estimated 4,945 additional cases of the virus in the county, making the total possible number of cases in the county 5,750.
As of Monday’s update, the state had reached 34,546 confirmed cases and had seen 717 confirmed virus-related deaths.
DHEC officials said Monday that there were currently 1,032 hospital beds occupied statewide by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
As of Sunday, a total of 408,394 tests had been conducted in the state, and the percent positive of the 9,191 tests conducted on Sunday was 15.5 percent, DHEC said.
According to DHEC, 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,” a news release said.
DHEC said steps residents can take to protect themselves 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.
To find a mobile testing clinic event, visit scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics. Residents can also get tested at one of 175 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Visit scdhec.gov/covid19testing for more information.