COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina


The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of South Carolina in March 2020. On April 2, 2020, DHEC announced that the virus had spread to all 46 counties in the state. During the month of June the seven-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases in South Carolina increased nearly five-fold, from 293 on June 1 to 1,398 on June 30, and has continued to increase during the first week of July. As of July 30, 2020, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has confirmed 87,117 cases in the state, resulting in 1,600 deaths.

Timeline

March

Initial exposures and spread

The first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina were two women from Charleston County and Kershaw County. On April 2, 2020, DHEC announced that the virus had spread to all 46 counties in the state. Clusters of cases have been linked to assisted living and long-term care facilities as well as other congregate settings, but DHEC initially refused to identify facilities with cases or deaths for privacy reasons. However, DHEC began to report cases and deaths in nursing homes weekly on April 21, 2020 in response to a suit and publicity about the lack of disclosure. On July 10, DHEC reported that cases in young adults since June 1 had increased by 400% with about 22% of the 50,458 cases reported to that date affecting 21-30 year olds and 15% affecting people under 20. DHEC announced the first cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children caused by COVID-19 in two children under the age of ten on July 12.

Hospitalization and hospital capacity

According to DHEC, 12% of COVID-19 case have been hospitalized. On July 12, 2020, acute hospital bed occupancy reached a high of 81% in the Pee Dee region of the state. If there is a surge in COVID-19 patients, the state and the SC National Guard will implement a surge plan to meet the need, but initial steps would include cancelling elective surgeries.

Deaths

On March 16, 2020, the first confirmed death in South Carolina from COVID-19, a nursing home patient in Lexington Country was announced. While the largest percentage of cases has been in younger age groups, the highest percentage of deaths has occurred among those over age 65. In addition, as of April 8, 2020, African Americans, who make up 27% of the population, have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 accounting for 46% of deaths and by July 12, 2020, this had declined only slightly to 43%

Testing

South Carolina has been criticized for lagging behind other states in COVID-19 testing and on May 11, 2020 was ranked last for its testing rate per one million people; however, by July 12, it was ranked 35 out of the fifty states and District of Columbia in one ranking and 44th out of 50 states trying to reach a minimum level of testing needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. On May 11, 2020, DHEC initiated a plan to test all nursing home residents and staff for COVID-19 by the end of the month. Current testing includes approximately 25% by the Public Health Laboratory and additional testing implemented by private laboratories

Contact tracing

DHEC has worked to increase staffing for contact tracing of COVID-19 positive cases expanding from 20 to almost 2,000 contact tracers in mid-May and roughly 5,000 by the start of July. However, the increase in cases in July has led to concern that contact tracing efforts will be overwhelmed.

Modeling and projections

Models that project the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Caroling are used by the DHEC to forecast resource needs. Initial models suggested that South Carolina would reach its peak in COVID-19 cases in April, with 680 deaths estimated by August 4. DHEC shares current state-level models from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. These can be compared with state-level models and projections by other organizations outside the state including the Covid ActNow projections and the forecasts of total deaths and total hospitalizations received and compiled by the Centers for Disease Control. As of July 15, a model from independent researchers at Pandemic Central provides daily new case projections for counties in South Carolina and elsewhere.

Impacts

Economy

In April 2020, South Carolina received $1.9 billion in federal relief funds from the CARES Act. From this amount, $1.2 billion was allocated most of the funds have been allocated for jobless benefits and for schools, including extending broadband to rural communities to improve internet access. By mid May, almost half a million people had applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March when the pandemic began in South Carolina. In the first week of July, 198,318 people continued to seek unemployment benefits. On July 31, the extra $600 per week in federal unemployment assistance is slated to end, reducing the unemployment amount to $326 per week or less.
In late April, McMaster established the accelerateSC task force to assess and recommend economic revitalization plans for South Carolina during the pandemic. The task force's final report was issued on May 28, 2020. The report contains 42 recommendations including using federal aid for the state unemployment trust fund, for expanding internet broadband access, to add five days of school for K-8 education, and for heath care costs.

Schools

K-12 schools

On March 15, McMaster announced the closure of all public schools in the state until March 31. This was extended through the end of April, and on April 22, McMaster and Superintendent Spearman announced the closure of schools in South Carolina for the remainder of the school year. In order to advise the SC Department of Education and make recommendations about how to best meet the needs of students during the COVID-19 pandemic in SC, Spearman established a task force, AccelerateEd, composed of educators and administrators representing different facets of the K–12 public education system. AccelerateEd released their recommendations regarding the 2020–2021 school year on June 22, 2020. The report contains guidelines and models for reopening, as well as the recommendation to follow best practices for health and safety recommended by DHEC and the CDC. On July 15, McMaster argued that school districts should re-open for in-person instruction the day after Labor Day. However, Spearman stated that "School leaders, in consultation with public health experts, are best positioned to determine how in-person operations should be carried out to fit the needs of their local communities”, and teachers also expressed concern about re-opening in person. On July 20, McMaster announced that private K-12 schools will get $32 million in federal COVID-19 aid from the governor's discretionary education account to assist low income families with tuition. The Palmetto State Teachers Association and the teachers group SC For Ed both responded that they were disappointed in McMaster's decision and think that the funds would be better put to use to support public schools in South Carolina since they are currently facing significant challenges during the pandemic. On July 22, Orangeburg County Circuit Court Judge Dickson temporarily blocked McMaster's plan to allocate $32 million in funding for private education pending court arguments.

Higher education

On March 19, the governor ordered all public colleges and universities in the state to finish their semesters online. In May, the University of South Carolina announced that teaching would be in person in the fall but that fall break would be cancelled and learning would be online after Thanksgiving. Clemson University announced that they will reopen for in-person learning this fall with all students and staff required to be tested for COVID-19 within five days prior to arriving on campus
Universities and colleges in South Carolina will receive over $100 million from the CARES Act stimulus package. The funds are to cover costs such as refunds to students and other costs related to the pandemic, and at least half of the funding must be distributed directly to students. McMaster announced that the eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities in South Carolina would be allocated $2.4 million to enhance online learning from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief fund.

Sports

In college sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide. This affected South Carolina especially, as the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville was set to host first and second-round games in the women's tournament. On March 16, the National Junior College Athletic Association also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons.

Statistics

The monitoring and testing of COVID-19 in South Carolina per the Department of Health and Environmental Control is as follows with data reported on July 27, 2020:
TypePositive testsNegative testsTotal
103,238555,317658,555
3,21448,18751,410
Unknown test type51,7651,700
Total tests106,457605,269711,726