COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Carolina pushed past 80,000 Sunday.
The increase of 1,412 is the fewest new cases in more than two weeks, according to numbers released by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Weekend numbers can sometimes vary because of delayed reporting.
The number of new deaths confirmed from the respiratory illness rose by 25 to 1,436.
More than 700,000 tests have now been conducted in the state. Of the 7,500 total tests reported Sunday, 15.6% were positive. That’s lower than in recent days, but South Carolina continues to have one of the highest positivity rates among the states, a key indicator that the state may not be doing enough testing to control the virus.
The state says it has 96 mobile testing events scheduled over the next five weeks to try to improve testing in underserved and rural communities. There are also 214 permanent testing sites.
Department officials continue to say they don’t have an accurate count of how many people are hospitalized with COVID-19 because of the transition from the former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracking system to a new tracking system mandated by President Donald Trump’s Administration. The transition has been going on since Wednesday.
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