COLUMBIA — After a weekend that saw 10 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county reported over a three-day period, Pickens County was up to 73 confirmed positive cases of the virus according to the latest figures released by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control on Monday.

No new cases were reported on Monday in the county, but there were five new cases Sunday and four Saturday to go with one announced on Friday.

As of Monday afternoon, 7,792 confirmed positive tests for the virus were reported statewide, with 346 deaths. One person died in Pickens County last month of virus-related causes.

DHEC also said that as of 10 a.m. May 7, two Easley nursing homes had had confirmed cases of the virus in both residents and staff. Foothills Presbyterian community has had four positive tests in residents and two in staff members, while Easley Place has had one staff member and one resident test positive for the virus.

DHEC meets contact tracing goal

DHEC also announced Monday that it has identified more than 1,800 contact tracers to support the state’s ongoing COVID-19 response efforts.

“With increased testing there will be an increase in the number of positive cases reported,” state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said. “This means we will need to increase the extent of its contact tracing, and we are prepared to do so.”

Contact tracing isn’t new to DHEC. During normal operations, the agency has approximately 20 contact tracers who perform this methodology to help limit the spread of diseases like tuberculosis and hepatitis. The agency’s infectious disease experts investigate hundreds of disease outbreaks each year.

“As we enhance our testing efforts, DHEC set goal with our AccelerateSC partners of identifying 1,000 contact tracers by May 31,” Bell said. “I’m proud to announce that we’ve met that goal.”

As part of DHEC’s COVID-19 response efforts, the agency has increased its number of contact tracers from 20 to 400 staff members as of Monday. In addition, DHEC has retained another 1,400 contact tracers through contracts with two private staffing companies (Apple One and C-Trace), bringing the total number of available contact tracers to 1,800. Also, 667 members of the public have also expressed interest in becoming a contact tracer through our contact tracing webpage.

As people from across the state continue to ask what they can do to help stop the spread of COVID-19, public health officials encourage South Carolinians is to take advantage of free testing clinics and continue to:

• Practice social distancing

• Wear a mask while out in public

• Avoid touching frequently touched items

• Regularly wash hands

• Monitor for symptoms

If you have tested positive or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, a member of DHEC’s contact testing team will be reaching out to you to make sure you have the information you need to know to help protect yourself and your community.