'Many are putting all at risk': State health leader warns S.C. residents to take precautions; Thursday sets another record for coronavirus cases per day

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On yet another record-breaking day for new COVID-19 cases being announced, the state epidemiologist publicly urged South Carolinians to take precautions against a further spike.

While more testing is being done, the percentage of those tests that test positive is increasing and remaining high daily, as is the number of hospitalizations, according to state public health data.

The state announced 987 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total number of people known to have tested positive for the virus statewide to 21,533. Thursday's total included 34 from Sumter, only two from Clarendon County, which has seen relief from the virus turning deadly recently, and seven from Lee County, which now remains with the state's highest rate of known infection.

"Every one of us has a role to play in stopping COVID-19. This virus does not spread on its own. It's spread around our state by infected people who carry it wherever they go - their work, the supermarket, the post office, a friend's house. By not following public health precautions, many are putting all at risk," State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said in her statement Thursday.

South Carolina started seeing an increase in new cases per day at the end of May, with a record on May 29 of 396. June 5-9 saw three days with more than 490 cases, and a record of 677 cases on June 10 has been eclipsed by at least a hundred cases four times.

In Sumter, previous highs of 17 cases per day on April and May 1 have been beaten six times and tied once since June 5. Sumter's record for new cases announced in a day came on June 10 with 45.

Bell said it is essential that everyone wears a mask in public and stays whenever possible physically distanced from others.

"We understand that what we're continuing to ask of everyone is not easy and that many are tired of hearing the same warnings and of taking the same daily precautions, but this virus does not take a day off," she said. "Every day that we don't all do our part, we are extending the duration of illnesses, missed work, hospitalizations and deaths in our state."

Four additional deaths were also announced Thursday, bringing the death toll statewide to 621.

The elderly and those with underlying health conditions have been pegged as most at risk for developing complications from the virus if infected, and state data continue to show that African-American patients are more at risk than white patients because of a disproportionate prevalence of underlying health conditions in the county's black population.

According to state data, 60.2% of all those who have died where the state has relevant data had heart disease, and 40% had diabetes.

While at the onset of the pandemic, state data showed the age group with the highest percentage of confirmed cases was in the elderly populations, current data show the highest percentage of cases (17%) is now in those aged 21-30. Those aged 31-60 represent the next highest percentage of cases.

"There is no vaccine for COVID-19. There are only individual behaviors and actions we must all maintain that help stop its spread. Healthy people may feel they are resistant to the virus, may feel that even if they contract it, they'll have mild symptoms and feel better in a few days. This may be true for some, but it's also true that we are seeing hospitalizations and deaths in those who were previously healthy and in almost every age group."