COVID surge continues in Horry, slower case climb in Columbus

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     A surge of COVID-19 related cases and uptick in deaths continues in Horry County this week, with a slower but steady increase in confirmed infections in Columbus.

This post will cover these topics and may be updated:

• Horry records 10 COVID deaths, more than 350 new cases in two days
• Columbus reports 30 new cases, 34 total recoveries

Horry records 10 COVID deaths, more than 350 new cases in two days

     COVID-19 had claimed ten more Horry County residents, with some 358 newly confirmed infections bringing the pandemic total well past 5,000 this week, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control data shows.

     Zip Code data shows the Loris area has topped 300 COVID cases, the total now 307, up from 293 on Tuesday. Green Sea area cases have reached 24, up from 19 Tuesday, the DHEC data shows.

     Horry County’s pandemic total was 5,203 Thursday, the DHEC data showed, with 62 deaths, up from 52 on Tuesday.

     Statewide South Carolina has recorded 50,548 COVID confirmed cases since the pandemic began, an increase of 3,260 from Tuesday, with 597 people across the state who have died of the disease, 59 more than Tuesday. That number was inflated, DHEC said, due to delayed reporting from some hospitals.

     A total of 1,433 Palmetto State residents were reported hospitalized for coronavirus complications Thursday, 109 more than Tuesday.

Columbus reports 30 new cases, 34 total recoveries

     Another 30 Columbus County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the county’s Health Department reported in its second coronavirus update of the week Thursday.

     That brings the pandemic case total for Columbus County to 592, with 39 related deaths. Of the new COVID cases, nine were confirmed both Tuesday and Wednesday, twelve today (Thursday), the health department reported.

     A total of 324 of those previously confirmed with the disease have recovered, the health department reported.

     Four county residents are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

     Zip Code: Zip Code data, reported on the NC Department of Health and Human Services dashboard, shows the Tabor City area with five new cases since Tuesday, Whiteville with eight.

     Countywide the Zip Code data shows these pandemic total cases/deaths: Tabor City, 37/11; Clarendon, 16/1; Nakina, 8/2; Fair Bluff, 23/4; Cerro Gordo, 19/0; Chadbourn, 79/5; Whiteville, 165/12; Hallsboro, 54/3; Evergreen, 11/0; Lake Waccamaw, 34/3; Bolton, 23/0; Delco, 17/0; Riegelwood, 30/0.

     Statewide: North Carolina’s pandemic total of COVID cases reached 79,349,875 Thursday, up by 3,474 from Tuesday, with 1,461 people claimed by the virus, that up by 41 from Tuesday.

     DHHS data showed 1,034 of the state’s residents currently hospitalized with the coronavirus, the highest count of the pandemic and up by 45 from Tuesday.

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.