Columbus confirms new COVID deaths, prison fueled case surge; more infections in Horry
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
Two new COVID-19 associated deaths involving Columbus County residents and a prison fueled surged in new cases were confirmed by the Columbus County Health Department Monday, as additional infections were recorded in Horry.
This post will cover these topics and may be updated:
- Two new COVID deaths confirmed in Columbus, prisons fuel 135 case surge
- Infections keep climbing in Horry
Two new COVID deaths confirmed in Columbus, prisons fuel 135 case surge
Two more Columbus County residents have been claimed by COVID-19, the Columbus County Health Department reported in its first of two weekly pandemic updates Monday, while a surge of coronavirus cases at state prisons located in the county fueled a 135 case surge since Thursday.
Columbus residents died on Nov. 5 and 6, both in a hospital, the health department reported.
Cases confirmed Thursday, after the department’s last report, totaled 11, with another 52 cases Friday, 4 on Saturday, 63 Sunday, and five by early afternoon today (Monday,” the health department reported.
Of the 135 new cases, 95 “can be attributed to correctional facilities in Columbus County,” the health department report said. “Per North Carolina guidelines, the Columbus County Health Department must include these cases in our county total.”
As of Monday, Tabor Correctional has 165 active COVID-19 cases with 221 inmates testing positive for the virus since the pandemic began, DPS data showed. At Columbus Correctional Institution near Brunswick the number of active cases fell from 14 Saturday to a single case Monday, the DPS data showed, with 35 inmates testing positive for the virus during the pandemic.
A total of 66 deaths associated with COVID-19 have involved Columbus County residents so far during the pandemic, with the case total now 1,993, likely to pass 2,000 as early as Tuesday.
Ten county residents are currently hospitalized due to the virus.
Zip Code data, which is not provided by the local health department but reported daily by the NC Department of Health and Human Services, reflected state Department of Public Safety data showing a significant outbreak at Tabor Correctional Institution. That Zip Code data showed 42 newly confirmed cases for Tabor City on Monday alone, bringing the area’s pandemic total to 505 cases with 19 deaths.
Elsewhere in Columbus, the Zip Code data shows, Whiteville and Hallsboro each recorded three new cases Monday; with one new case each in Fair Bluff, Cerro Gordo, Chadbourn and Bolton.
North Carolina recorded 1,521 new COVID infections Monday, and 8 associated deaths, bringing those pandemic totals to 294,860 and 4,615 respectively. Statewide 1,169 people were hospitalized due to the coronavirus, that number up by 22 from Sunday.
Infections keep climbing in Horry
Another 81 Horry County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since Saturday, daily data from South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control shows.
With 45 newly confirmed cases reported Sunday, 36 Monday, the county’s pandemic total of confirmed infections has reached 12,047.
COVID-19 has claimed the lives of at least 214 Horry residents during the pandemic, the DHEC data shows, the most recent three reported Saturday.
Zip Code data shows five newly confirmed cases reported for the Loris area since Saturday, three on Sunday, two today (Monday). Zip Code totals show the Loris area with 694 reported coronavirus cases during the pandemic, another 61 in Green Sea.
South Carolina has recorded 176,373 COVID cases during the pandemic, 3,778 deaths, those numbers up by 586 and 2 respectively since Sunday.
Statewide 746 people were hospitalized due to the coronavirus Monday, that number up by 28 from Sunday.
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.
