Paul C wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:47 pm
“The majority of the cases are asymptomatic and none have required hospitalization, according to the school.”
Seems to be the trend with most of these new cases coming from younger folks who are much more resilient. And/or the virus itself is becoming less virulent as it evolves....which apparently is typical.
Whether younger folks are more resilient or not, they still can infect older folks and also can infect younger folks who may not be so resilient. Just being asymptomatic does not mean that one is non-contagious. And, not all young adults will only see mild symptoms.
The following published today is what people need to be aware of:
“SC surpasses 1,000 cases in record-breaking day” (The State Saturday 6/20/2020)
A day after SC reported its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases, state health officials say it broke that record after they identified 1,081 more Friday….
Before Friday, the Palmetto State had never seen a single-day increase of 1,000 …
State officials … are seeing a spike in cases in people under the age of 30.
…[SC DHEC] announced Friday that 18 more people died after contracting the virus. In all, 639 people have died in SC after testing positive ….
“…COVID-19 is not over,” DHEC’s Dr. Brannon Traxler said Friday.
Charleston … largest increase in cases with 153 …. followed by Greenville and Horry counties with 115 new cases each.
Horry …saw three new deaths, tying …Greenville for the most reported out of any county. …
People under the age of 30 have seen the largest spike in their coronavirus infection rate, with about a 400% increase in cases since April 4. According to DHEC, 18.4% of all cases were patients between the ages of 21-30.
People in their teens account for about 7% of all cases.
“… a warning that
young adults and youth are not immune to COVID-19,” Traxler said. “…
younger South Carolinians are not taking social distancing seriously.”
Traxler also warned that
not all young adults will see only mild symptoms.
… misconception that the state is in its “second wave” of coronavirus cases.
“We are still in the first wave, “ Traxler said.
… state health officials suspect that many COVID-19 infections go undiagnosed or untested.
…
HOW ARE HOSPITALS BEING IMPACTED?
As COVID-19 spreads, the number of the state’s … hospital beds … filled by people with the virus increases.
After breaking the record for the most hospitalized coronavirus patients Thursday, state health officials announced Friday that of … occupied beds, 660 were being used by COVID-19 patients or those who likely have it, setting a new record again. Of those, 83 were on ventilators, Traxler said.
“That’s why we need people to take those public health recommendations seriously,” Traxler said.
Hospitals across the state were at 71.2% capacity.
… [many] hospitals are seeing an even larger shortage in bed space. In Richland County, 74.5% of beds are in use, and in Lexington County, 81.7%.
In April and May, the daily number of hospitalized patients averaged about 411, and did not surpass 500. In ten of the last eleven days, the number of COVID-19 patients, confirmed or suspected, who were hospitalized exceeded 500.
DHEC officials have warned that an uptick in coronavirus cases may lead to an increase in hospitalizations weeks later.
South Carolina has seen a wave of coronavirus cases lately … the virus’ activity in the state is increasing. Last week, DHEC officials saw daily case counts between 434 and 802, an increase of hundreds of cases from the … counts in March, April and early May.
From mid-April to mid-May, health officials saw, on average, about 166 cases per day. From June 7 to June 14, South Carolina saw an average of 619 new cases per day.
To show that the virus is quickly spreading throughout the state, DHEC … pointed to the percentage of tests that are positive. Over the last 28 days, that number has gone up.
Friday, DHEC officials announced that 16.1% of tests were positive. …
Over 10 of the last 11 days, officials have seen more than 10% of tests showing positive results.
At its lowest point, the percent of positive tests fell between 2-4% on average.
The increase in coronavirus cases could be due to more people leaving their homes and fewer wearing masks and practicing social distancing, DHEC officials have said.
On Thursday, State Epidemiologist Linda Bell pleaded for ... [all] to wear masks every time they leave the home. She also warned that “every day that we don’t all do our part, we are extending the duration” of COVID-19.
…
… while cases have increased dramatically, the number of daily tests has stayed relatively steady since the week of May 10, completing about 35,000 tests a week.