I WILL LOOK AT THE FOUR-DAY PLUS, COMING UP. AMANDA: DR. ANTHONY FELT HE IS CALLING THIS A HISTORIC PANDEMIC. GEOFF: MORE THAN 130 7000 AMERICANS HAVE DIED. — 137,000 AMERICANS HAVE DIED. BRAZIL HAS THE SECOND-HIGHEST NUMBERS WITH NEARLY 2 MILLION. AMANDA: BREAKING OVERNIGHT, GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP IS FACING SOME BACKLASH. HE EXTENDED THE STATE OF EMERGENCY, AND THE EXECUTIVE ORDER ALSO VOIDS LOCAL MASK ORDINANCES IN SEVERAL PLAES. THE MAYOR OF SAVANNAH TWEETED LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT, SAYING THE GOVERNOR DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THEM, BUT SAVANNAH WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE SCIENCE. AMANDA: HE SAYS PARENTS NEED TO HAVE THE OPTIONS TO SEND THEIR KIDS ALL FIVE DISH OF THE WEEK. TAGGART HOUCK JOINS US WITH MORE ON THE CONCERNS. TAGGEART: THE GOVERNOR CALLING FOR PLANS FOR STUDENTS TO RETURN FOR FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR IN PERSON, FACE-TO-FACE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE. HE WILL NOT ISSUE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR THE DISTRICT. HE SAYS IT WILL BE IN THE HANDS OF THE DISTRICT MOVING FORWARD. HE INSTRUCTED THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION TO NOT APPROVE ANY DISTRICT PLAN THAT DOES INCLUDE — DOES NOT INCLUDE IN-PERSON LEARNING FIVE DAYS A WEEK. I HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY TO SUBMIT REOPENING PLANS TO THE STATE. THE GOVERNOR REITERATED PARENTS SHOULD HAVE THE CHOICE IF CHILDREN SHOULD DO IN PERSON LEARNING OR VIRTUAL LEARNING. IT IS NOT CLEAR IF DISTRICTS HAVE TO. GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOLS SAYS IT WILL TAKE DIRECTION FROM SPEARMAN. SHE SAID IS IMPORTANT TO RETURN SCHOOLS TO — RETURN TO SCHOOL AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE. TAGGART HOUCK, WYFF NEWS 4. AMANDA: WE ARE KEEPING TRACK OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS’ PLANS FOR THE FALL, AND ARE LISTING THEM ONLINE AS THEY’RE RELEASED. YOU CAN FIND THE PLANS ON WYFF4.COM OR OUR MOBILE APP. GEOFF: MORE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF COULD SOON BE COMING FROM CAPITOL HILL’S. THAT’S CAPITOL HILL. LAWMAKERS WORK ON SEVERAL MAJOR ISSUES INCLUDING SCHOOLS, TESTING AND ADDED ECONOMIC RELIEF. AMANDA: MATT PRITCHARD IS TALKING BY HOW QUICKLY THESE TALKS ARE PROGRESSING. MATT: CONGRESS HOPES TO FIND AGREEMENT IN A MATTER OF WEEKS AS THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS CONTINUES TO GRIP THE NATION. CONGRESS WEIGHS THEIR NEXT MOVE.>> TESTING, TRACING, TREATING, ISOLATING, DISTANCIN>> WE WILL BE LOOKING AT FOURTH AND FINAL PACKAGE THIS MONT MATT: REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRAT EYEING ADDED CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FOCUSED ON OPENING SCHOOLS, , UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, ADDED TESTING AND SUPPORTING TREATMENT AND VACCINE RESEARCH. DISAGREEMENTS THOUGH STILL REMAIN.>> SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN OUR COUNTRY THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD REPUBLICANS HADN’T CALLED FOR A PAUSE. MATT: DEMOCRATS FRUSTRATED THEIR $3 TRILLION HEROES ACT HAS BEEN TABLED FOR TWO MONTHS AS SENATE REPUBLICANS DEFEND THE MEASURED APPROACH.>> IT’S MADE SENSE IT SEEMS TO ME TO PUSH THE PAUSE BUTTON, TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THIS IN A FEW MONTHS AND SEE WHAT MISTAKES IF ANY WE MADE, AND SEE WHAT THE ECONOMY SEEMS TO NEED BEYOND THAT. MATT: AND WHILE THE TWO SIDES WORK TOWARDS COMMON GROUND, PRESIDENT TRUMP TURNED TOWARDS INFRASTRUCTURE WEDNESDAY.>> IT’S ABSOLUTELY UNPRECEDENTED. TOP TO BOTTOM OVERHAUL, SHOULD OF BEEN DONE YEARS AGO. MATT: LOOKING TO REV UP MAJOR BUILDING PROJECTS BY PULLING BACK ON REGULATION.>> WE WILL NOT ALLOW OUR NATION TO BE HAMSTRUNG BY WASTEFUL WASHINGTON REGULATION. MATT: AS FOR TALKS IN CONGRESS, SHOULD THE TWO SIDES AND THE WHITE HOUSE FIND AGREEMENT, IT WOULD BE THE FIFTH VIRUS RELATED RESCUE BILL SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN. IN WASHINGTON, I’M MATT PRICHARD, WYFF NEWS 4. GEOFF: TWITTER I INVESTIGATING AFTER SEVERAL PUBLIC FIGURES HEATAD THEIR ACCOUNTS HACKED. THE ACCOUNTS OF JOE BIDEN FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA MIKE BLOOMBERG AND OTHERS POSTED SIMILAR TWEETS WEDNESDAY. THE TWEETS APPEAR TO SOLICIT DONATIONS AS PART OF A BITCOIN SCAM IT ALSO AFFECTED BUSINESS LEADERS INCLUDING WARREN BUFFETT , JEFF BEZOS, BILL GATES, ELON MUSK. ALSO SENT OUT SIMILAR TWEETS ALONG WITH CELEBRITIES LIKE KANYE AND KIM KADASHIAN WEST. GEOFF: WALMART, THE WORLD’S LARGEST RETAILER, AND SAM’S CLUB IS JOINING THE GROWING LIST OF COMPANIES REQUIRING THAT ALL CUSTOMERS WEAR MASKS. THE REQUIREMENT WILL GO INTO EFFECT ON MONDAY. THE CDC’S DATABASE IS INADEQUATE TO STORE AND PROCESS ALL THE NECESSARY INFORMATION. THE DATABASE IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. HHS KEEPS HIS DATABASE PRIVATE. GEOFF: BAPTIST EASLEY HOSPITAL IS OFFERING DRIVE THROUGH COVID-19 TESTING. IT WILL BE OFFERED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 9:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M. PATIENTS MUST HAVE AN ELECTRONIC ORDER FOR COVID-19 TESTING. THAT MEANS YOU NEED A REFERRAL. PAPER ORDERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. PRISMA HEALTH IS PROVIDING FREE COVID-19 SCREENING ONLINE. YOU CAN ACCESS THAT PRISMAHEALTH.ORG/VIRTUALVISI JUST USE PROMO CODE COVID-19. AMANDA: THIS IS A COOL TOOL YOU CAN CHECK OUT ONLINE. IT SHOWS THE RISK LEVEL OF CROWDED EVENTS. IT IS FROM RESEARCHERS AT GEORGIA TECH. THE EVENT RISK ASSESSME PLANNING TOOL ALLOWS YOU TO ZOOM IN TO A COUNTY LEVEL AND CHANGE THE EVENT SIZE WE DID GREENWOOD COUNTY. IF YOU WENT TO A PARTY WITH 25 PEOPLE. RESEARCHERS SAY THERE IS A 68% CHANCE THAT ONE PERSON THERE WILL BE POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRU IF THAT EVENT GROWS TO 100 PEOPLE, THE CHANCES RISE TO 99%. GEOFF: THERE IS A NATIONWIDE COIN SHORTAGE. EXPERTS BELIEVE IS PARTIALLY DUE TO BUSINESSES THAT DEAL HEAVILY IN COINS LIKE LAUNDROMATS ARE NOT BEING USED AS MUCH. ALSO IF YOU WERE PEOPLE ARE HANDLING MONEY FROM FEAR OF CONTAMINATION. AMANDA: I THOUGHT YOU SAID CORN SHORTAGE. IT IS A COIN SHORTAGE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 75 YEARS, THE ROSE BOWL PLAYWRIGHT — PARADE IS CANCELED. THEY LAST WENT ON HIATUS AS AMERICA FOCUSED ON WORLD WAR II. THE ORGANIZER SAID THEY WANT TO TEAM UP FOR A WORLDWIDE TELEVISED EVENT TO TAKE ITS PLACE. GEOFF: THE FOSTER AND ADOPT RESOURCE CENTER IS EXCEPTING DONATIONS. AMANDA: THE CENTERS ALREADY SERVE MORE THAN 45 CHILDREN IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. THEY ARE HOPING TO HELP OUT MORE THE SUMMER. E C
SC health officials provide new data on COVID-19 deaths in the state along with new case numbers
DHEC is publishing COVID-19 deaths in South Carolina by date of death
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced Thursday the most COVID-19 associated deaths reported for a single day, 69 confirmed and three probable, however, the deaths of the individuals occurred over the past few weeks.These deaths bring the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the state to 1,053.The delay in reporting of an individual’s death during this pandemic is often attributed to ensuring the death is accurately reported based on the most up-to-date federal guidance for determining a COVID-19-related death, DHEC officials said in a release. A cause of death is determined by a medical certifier or a coroner. As announced in late April, DHEC has implemented a cross analysis methodology to ensure an individual’s death is accurately reported. This includes comparing the initial information reported to the agency to the information included on an individual’s official death certificate.Additionally, the report of an individual’s cause of death may be delayed if the individual had numerous medical issues or it takes longer to collect the personal demographic information from the family, the release said. To clearly provide the actual dates of COVID-19-related deaths, DHEC said it is publishing COVID-19 deaths in South Carolina by date of death on its Testing and Projections webpage. This new data visualization provides the date of COVID-19-related deaths announced for the current day as well as the dates the deaths occurred.Daily COVID-19 Update (July 16)The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced Thursday 1,842 new confirmed cases and four new probable cases of COVID-19.There are currently 1,578 hospital beds occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19, and 214 of those patients are currently on ventilators.This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 63,880, probable cases to 203, confirmed deaths to 1,053 and 17 probable deaths. Fifty-five of the deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Anderson (1), Beaufort (3), Charleston (11), Chester (1), Chesterfield (1), Colleton (3), Darlington (1), Dillon (2), Florence (1), Georgetown (1), Greenville (13), Greenwood (1), Horry (4), Kershaw (1), Lancaster (1), Lexington (3), Orangeburg (1), Pickens (1), Richland (3), Spartanburg (1), and Williamsburg (1) counties; and 14 of the deaths occurred in middle-aged individuals from Berkeley (2), Charleston (1), Greenville (3), Greenwood (1), Lexington (2), Orangeburg (3), Pickens (1), and Richland (1) counties.The three probable deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Abbeville (1) and Spartanburg (1) counties, one individual whose age is being confirmed from Saluda County (1).Confirmed cases by county: Abbeville (5), Aiken (32), Allendale (9), Anderson (66), Bamberg (16), Barnwell (13), Beaufort (108), Berkeley (67), Calhoun (18), Charleston (230), Cherokee (4), Chester (16), Chesterfield (11), Clarendon (9), Colleton (13), Darlington (16), Dillon (9), Dorchester (64), Edgefield (3), Fairfield (23), Florence (58), Georgetown (23), Greenville (230), Greenwood (17), Hampton (10), Horry (142), Jasper (16), Kershaw (14), Lancaster (25), Laurens (18), Lee (7), Lexington (58), Marion (6), McCormick (7), Newberry (18), Oconee (16), Orangeburg (80), Pickens (27), Richland (125), Saluda (1), Spartanburg (90), Sumter (30), Union (4), Williamsburg (13), York (75)Probable cases by county: Abbeville (1), Aiken (1), Saluda (1), Spartanburg (1)Testing in South CarolinaAs of Wednesday, a total of 587,567 tests have been conducted in the state. See a detailed breakdown of tests in South Carolina on the Data and Projections webpage. DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory is operating extended hours and is testing specimens seven days a week, and the Public Health Laboratory’s current timeframe for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours.Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 CasesThe total number of individual test results reported to DHEC Wednesday statewide was 8,643 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 21.3%.Nearly 100 Mobile Testing Clinics Scheduled StatewideAs 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 97 mobile testing events scheduled through August 5 with new testing events added regularly. Find a mobile testing clinic event near you at scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.Residents can also get tested at one of 180 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Visit scdhec.gov/covid19testingfor more information.Hospital Bed OccupancyAs of Thursday morning, 2,946 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,935 are in use, which is a 72.93% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 7,935 inpatient beds currently used, 1,578 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
GREENVILLE, S.C. —
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced Thursday the most COVID-19 associated deaths reported for a single day, 69 confirmed and three probable, however, the deaths of the individuals occurred over the past few weeks.
These deaths bring the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the state to 1,053.
The delay in reporting of an individual’s death during this pandemic is often attributed to ensuring the death is accurately reported based on the most up-to-date federal guidance for determining a COVID-19-related death, DHEC officials said in a release.
A cause of death is determined by a medical certifier or a coroner.
As announced in late April, DHEC has implemented a cross analysis methodology to ensure an individual’s death is accurately reported. This includes comparing the initial information reported to the agency to the information included on an individual’s official death certificate.
Additionally, the report of an individual’s cause of death may be delayed if the individual had numerous medical issues or it takes longer to collect the personal demographic information from the family, the release said.
To clearly provide the actual dates of COVID-19-related deaths, DHEC said it is publishing COVID-19 deaths in South Carolina by date of death on its Testing and Projections webpage.
This new data visualization provides the date of COVID-19-related deaths announced for the current day as well as the dates the deaths occurred.
Daily COVID-19 Update (July 16)
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced Thursday 1,842 new confirmed cases and four new probable cases of COVID-19.
There are currently 1,578 hospital beds occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19, and 214 of those patients are currently on ventilators.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 63,880, probable cases to 203, confirmed deaths to 1,053 and 17 probable deaths.
Fifty-five of the deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Anderson (1), Beaufort (3), Charleston (11), Chester (1), Chesterfield (1), Colleton (3), Darlington (1), Dillon (2), Florence (1), Georgetown (1), Greenville (13), Greenwood (1), Horry (4), Kershaw (1), Lancaster (1), Lexington (3), Orangeburg (1), Pickens (1), Richland (3), Spartanburg (1), and Williamsburg (1) counties; and 14 of the deaths occurred in middle-aged individuals from Berkeley (2), Charleston (1), Greenville (3), Greenwood (1), Lexington (2), Orangeburg (3), Pickens (1), and Richland (1) counties.
The three probable deaths occurred in elderly individuals from Abbeville (1) and Spartanburg (1) counties, one individual whose age is being confirmed from Saluda County (1).
Confirmed cases by county: Abbeville (5), Aiken (32), Allendale (9), Anderson (66), Bamberg (16), Barnwell (13), Beaufort (108), Berkeley (67), Calhoun (18), Charleston (230), Cherokee (4), Chester (16), Chesterfield (11), Clarendon (9), Colleton (13), Darlington (16), Dillon (9), Dorchester (64), Edgefield (3), Fairfield (23), Florence (58), Georgetown (23), Greenville (230), Greenwood (17), Hampton (10), Horry (142), Jasper (16), Kershaw (14), Lancaster (25), Laurens (18), Lee (7), Lexington (58), Marion (6), McCormick (7), Newberry (18), Oconee (16), Orangeburg (80), Pickens (27), Richland (125), Saluda (1), Spartanburg (90), Sumter (30), Union (4), Williamsburg (13), York (75)
Probable cases by county: Abbeville (1), Aiken (1), Saluda (1), Spartanburg (1)
Testing in South Carolina
As of Wednesday, a total of 587,567 tests have been conducted in the state. See a detailed breakdown of tests in South Carolina on the Data and Projections webpage. DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory is operating extended hours and is testing specimens seven days a week, and the Public Health Laboratory’s current timeframe for providing results to health care providers is 24-48 hours.
Percent Positive Test Trends among Reported COVID-19 Cases
The total number of individual test results reported to DHEC Wednesday statewide was 8,643 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 21.3%.
Nearly 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 97 mobile testing events scheduled through August 5 with new testing events added regularly. Find a mobile testing clinic event near you at scdhec.gov/covid19mobileclinics.
Residents can also get tested at one of 180 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Visit scdhec.gov/covid19testingfor more information.
Hospital Bed Occupancy
As of Thursday morning, 2,946 inpatient hospital beds are available and 7,935 are in use, which is a 72.93% statewide hospital bed utilization rate. Of the 7,935 inpatient beds currently used, 1,578 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19.
