Sumter's first COVID-19 case confirmed at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital

Both Sumter and Lee are now among the counties in South Carolina with a confirmed case of the new coronavirus.

Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital is caring for a patient with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19, health officials confirmed to The Sumter Item Wednesday morning. Tammie Epps, manager of media relations and social media for Prisma Health-Midlands, said no additional information can be confirmed by the hospital about the patient according to federal privacy laws.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has been posting a daily report of all patients in the afternoon. At first, they were explaining general information about patients and how they encountered the virus, but as the number of new cases each day has increased, the agency has started simply listing how many new cases are confirmed in each county. Sumter was not among them, meaning the Tuomey patient may not live in Sumter.

Prisma Health physicians, Emergency Management and Infection Prevention teams are following established infection control protocols and are working closely with DHEC to care for the patient.

“Every day, our team members continue to show up to do what they do best, which is to care for those people who need them most,” said Michelle Logan-Owens, CEO at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital. “This meaningful work is who we are, what we do, and these team members are doing it with excellence.”

DHEC announced 13 additional cases on Wednesday afternoon.

There now have been 60 people to test positive for the virus in South Carolina in 14 counties. Among those, 25 have been in Camden and Kershaw County, Sumter’s neighboring county to the north.

One of the new cases announced by DHEC is from Lee County. There is no hospital in Lee County.

One person has died from the virus in the state. He was an elderly resident of a nursing home in Lexington County.

There have been 583 negative tests, according to DHEC.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health conditions, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of victims recover.

People have been encouraged to follow recommendations for social distancing and health, including washing your hands frequently; covering your cough; staying home if you’re sick and not attending public gatherings; and disposing of tissues and other items that you’ve sneezed or coughed into.

Guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are to avoid gatherings of more than 50 people. President Trump has recommended that limit be 10.

If you are experiencing symptoms including fever, cough or shortness of breath, call your doctor to schedule an appointment. Health officials are asking people not to show up at emergency rooms sick, as you may risk exposing others to the virus. If you don’t have a primary care physician, you can schedule a free telehealth screening from your home by going to this link at DHEC's website.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

An earlier version of this story reported DHEC had not announced a case in Sumter yet, though Prisma Health-Midlands confirmed Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital is caring for a patient. They are not necessarily the same. DHEC reports cases by the patient’s county of residence. So, there is a COVID-19 patient being cared for in Sumter, but the patient may not be from Sumter. The Sumter Item strives for accuracy in everything we do and for transparency when something is unclear or incorrect. Humans work here. Especially in this time of quickly changing mass information, some of it being falsities and rumors, our goal is to be your local source of reliable truth. We appreciate your support.