TLC congregate care COVID deaths, cases rise; new cases in Horry, Columbus includes another lost

Demographic data from the Columbus County Health Department. Details are below.
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
COVID-19 infections are up among vulnerable populations in the Tabor Loris Community (TLC) this week, at Tabor Commons Assisted Living and Loris Rehab and Nursing Center.
At Tabor Commons five residents have died, data from North Carolina’s Health and Human Services shows.
Meanwhile, an additional death from the coronavirus was confirmed in Columbus County on Tuesday, with eight new cases confirmed, and another two positive cases reported in Horry County.
New demographic data related to the pandemic was also released by the Columbus County Health Department Tuesday.
This post will cover these topics and may be updated:
- TLC congregate care cases, deaths climb
- Seventeenth Columbus COVID death, eight new cases
- Horry case count up by two
TLC congregate care cases, deaths climb
Coronavirus infections spread rapidly and deeply at Tabor Commons in the past week, claiming five lives.
A total of 38 residents were confirmed with the disease a week ago, 49 on Tuesday, with the number of COVID-19 positive staff members doubling from two to four, DHHS data shows.
That data, and similar numbers from South Carolina’s Department of Health & Environmental Control, is updated Tuesday and Friday afternoon each week.
At Tabor Commons the number of infected residents rose to 44 on Friday, from 38 the previous Tuesday.
There were two deaths confirmed at Tabor Commons by the DHHS data on Friday, five on Tuesday.
Loris Rehab and Nursing Center recorded its first infections last week, and on Friday the DHEC report showed two residents testing positive for the disease, no staff members.
One Loris Rehab resident has died of COVID-19 complications, Tuesday’s DHEC report said, with five additional residents and five staff members testing positive for the coronavirus, the resident total now 7.
Seventeenth Columbus COVID death, eight new cases
Another Columbus County person has died of COVID-19 complications, the 17th since the pandemic began, eight more residents have tested positive for the disease, the Columbus County Health Department reported Tuesday.
“The individual passed away while hospitalized,” a health department news release said. “The individual was a previously identified positive case in Columbus County.
“To protect the families’ privacy, no further information about these individuals will be released. We offer our deepest condolences and sympathies to all of the individuals’ family and friends in this very difficult time.”
With the eight newly confirmed COVID-19 cases 221 Columbus residents have tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Two of the new cases are healthcare workers, two cases are connected to congregate living facilities outside of Columbus County, two cases are close contacts to known positives, one case is work related, and one case is still under investigation,” the health department reported.
Two new deaths and five additional infections were shown in the Tabor City Zip Code, the DHHS online dashboard showed Tuesday. One additional infection was shown in Whiteville and Evergreen.
County data documented on the state DHHS dashboard sometimes shows later than the information released by the local health department.
Age, race, gender: Older residents continued to test positive for the coronavirus more often than younger, but there are a growing number of younger cases, 13 from birth to age 17 of 213 cases, 11 for ages 18 to 24, 25 for ages 25-34, 22 for ages 35 to 44, and 29 for ages 45 to 54.
Those 65 and older recorded the most positive tests, 71, followed by the 55-64 age group with 42 people confirmed as infected.
African Americans in Columbus continued to show up in higher numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases than their percentage of the population might suggest, with 90 confirmed confections, the white population with 112, the county health department reported Tuesday. Six American Indians and four Hispanic or Latino people have also tested COVID-19 positive, the report showed.
Women continue to outnumber men in positive test results, 126 to 87, the county data showed.
NC TOTALS: Statewide there are 15,346 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 99 North Carolina counties Tuesday, up by 301 from Monday, the DHHS reported. There were 577 North Carolina deaths attributed to COVID-19 Tuesday, 22 more than Monday; with 475 current hospitalizations, that number up by 11 from the day before.
CC Health Updates: Regularly updated information from the Columbus County Health Department is available on its Facebook page here.
Columbus County Health Department’s COVID-19 Call Center is also operating from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Call 910-640-6615 ext. 7045 or 7046.
Horry case count up by two
Two more people in Horry County have been confirmed with COVID-19, South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Tuesday.
With the latest report Horry County has recorded 269 people testing positive for the disease since the pandemic began and 18 deaths.
Zip Code data shows 30 of those cases in the Loris Zip Code, one in the Green Sea area, none of those new on Tuesday.
Statewide there have been 7,927 positive tests returned for COVID-19 in South Carolina, up by 147 from Monday; with 355 related deaths, that number up by nine from Monday.
Updates
Look for continuing coverage on local impacts from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak here and in the Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.