With coronavirus cases continuing to rise and Charleston-area officials warning of a dwindling supply of open hospital beds, authorities continue to ramp up public health messaging.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey signed an emergency proclamation Thursday requiring masks in public places. The rule goes into effect at noon on Friday. Those who refuse to comply with requests could be fined $200 or face 30 days in jail.
The mask requirement follows similar moves by Charleston, Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant and other communities across the state. Earlier in the day, Charleston County enacted a similar measure.
North Charleston police distributed masks from two locations in the city Thursday. The effort was made possible by the donation of 10,000 masks, and follows distribution of 25,000 masks earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, health officials said they’re worried about hospitals being overwhelmed by new coronavirus patients.
Dr. Stan Wilson of Roper St. Francis Healthcare said the downtown emergency room logged three positive tests in the span of eight minutes on Wednesday, and doctors are worried about bed availability even as the hospital system announced it is postponing any elective surgeries that would require an overnight stay.
Here is the ordinance passed by Charleston County Council requiring face coverings in businesses in unincorporated Charleston County. #chsnews pic.twitter.com/nrR6AwUeTV
— Charleston County (@ChasCountyGov) July 2, 2020
As Charleston leads the state in new cases, many of the positive tests are in patients under 40. Though younger people tend to suffer less severe complications than their older counterparts, they are still at risk of serious effects and can pass the virus on to others.
The numbers announced Thursday bring the state to a new high in both the seven-day rolling average of deaths and the rolling average of new cases.
Statewide numbers
Number of new cases reported: 1,629
Total number of cases in S.C.: 39,587
Number of new deaths reported: 19
Total number of deaths in S.C.: 777
Number of hospitalized patients: 1,125
Percent of tests that were positive: 16.9 percent
Total number of tests in S.C.: 442,263
Which areas are hardest-hit?
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Greenville County led the state in new confirmed infections Thursday with 246 new positive tests. Charleston County followed with 244 new cases.
Horry County, home to Myrtle Beach, saw 179 and Richland County counted 114 new positive tests.
Charleston has reported an average of 281.4 new cases over the past seven days; that’s more than 100 cases per day above the next-worst counties.
Horry logged an average of 175.6 new cases per day in that period, and Greenville saw 166.6.
What’s happening in the tri-county region?
The tri-county continued to see high coronavirus case numbers Thursday. In addition to 244 new cases in Charleston County, Berkeley County logged 77 and Dorchester counted 69.
Charleston City Innovation Officer Tracy McKee said the area’s infection number increased 40-fold since just before Memorial Day weekend, and that any continuance of the trajectory would leave the tri-county region with over 40,000 active cases by the end of July.
Currently, the area has about 4,000 cases.
The infection rate is about 80 percent higher in Charleston ZIP codes than in the rest of the state, McKee said, and 200 percent higher than the state overall.
Deaths
Of the newly deceased patients, 15 were individuals above the age of 65 living in Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Florence, Horry, Lexington, Richland, Spartanburg and Sumter counties. Four were between the ages of 35 and 65 and lived in Beaufort, Clarendon, Darlington and Sumter counties.
How to stop the spread
Medical experts and government officials have begged people to wear masks as cases spike. While Gov. Henry McMaster declined to issue a statewide mask-wearing mandate, several cities have enacted ordinances within city limits.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control also asked that South Carolinians avoid crowds, stay 6 feet away from others outside their households, and regularly wash their hands.
What do experts say?
The rise in the number of people hospitalized with the virus has concerned medical officials. Officials with the Medical University of South Carolina and Roper St. Francis Healthcare warned that their hospitals were preparing for a rise in new cases, and begged residents to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
Gregory Yee contributed to this report.
Reach Sara Coello at 843-937-5705 and follow her on Twitter @smlcoello.
