Two days, two counties, 17 COVID deaths

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     It’s been a deadly few two days related to COVID-19 in Columbus and Horry counties, with 17 residents claimed by the virus since Tuesday, the majority north of the state line though Horry has more than five times the population.

     More than 400 coronavirus infections have been confirmed in the two counties during the same period of time.

     This post will cover these topics and may be updated:

• Nine new CC COVID deaths since Tuesday, 110 cases
• Horry: Eight more lost to virus, 304 more cases in two days

Nine new CC COVID deaths since Tuesday, 110 cases

     Optimism that a post-holiday surge of COVID-19 cases in Columbus County might be easing seems misplaced this week, with nine residents reported as killed by the virus since Tuesday, another 110 newly confirmed as infected, data from the NC Department of Health and Human Services shows.

     Four of those deaths involved residents of the Tabor City Zip Code, four more from Whiteville, one from the Chadbourn area, the DHHS data showed.

     Whiteville recorded 35 of the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, Chadbourn 13, Tabor City 12, Delco with 10, the data showed.

     No area of the county has been spared, with the other Zip Codes showing single digit case increases, Evergreen with two, the fewest.

     COVID-19 has claimed 124 Columbus County lives since the pandemic began, infecting a confirmed 5,324 residents, the data shows.

     Some pandemic case/death totals for the county include Tabor City with 1,373/31; Whiteville with 1,631/44; Chadbourn, 605/17; Clarendon, 202/3; Cerro Gordo, 173/2; Nakina, 158/2; and Fair Bluff, 173/2.

     Schools: Quarantines are in place at three of the Columbus County schools – Williams Township, East Columbus High, and Columbus Career and College Academy – the last reported earlier this week.

     Two positive COVID-19 cases at Williams Township have prompted quarantine for 13 students and/or staff, the district reported Thursday; while an exposure at East Columbus High has placed 23 in quarantine. A positive case at CCCA put six staff members in quarantine, and has put that school into an all virtual environment.

     There have been four positive COVID-19 tests involving students and/or staff at South Columbus High, three at Old Dock Elementary, and one at Hallsboro Artesia Elementary, none of those resulting in quarantines.

     North Carolina reported 9,728 new COVID infections Thursday and 150 associated deaths, bringing those pandemic totals to 781,802 and 9,728 respectively.

     Statewide 2,630 people were hospitalized due to the coronavirus Thursday, that number down by 76 from Wednesday.

Horry: Eight more lost to virus, 304 more cases in two days

     A surge in COVID-19 associated deaths involving Horry County residents in the past two days is indicated by SC Department of Health and Environmental Control data Thursday.

     Eight Horry residents have died of COVID complications since Tuesday, the DHEC data shows. Another 304 residents have tested positive for the virus in the same time frame, that data shows.

     Nine of the new cases were reported from the Loris Zip Code, one from Green Sea.

     In the 11 months since the pandemic’s impact began to be felt locally, 366 Horry lives have been lost to COVID-19, 24,302 people confirmed as infected with the virus, the true number unknown but likely many times higher, DHEC has reported.

     DHEC reports 1,545 of the confirmed COVID cases from the Loris Zip Code, 198 from Green Sea.

     South Carolina has recorded 403,928 COVID cases during the pandemic, 6,730 deaths, those numbers up by 1,649 and 75 respectively since Wednesday.

     Statewide 1,677 people were hospitalized due to the coronavirus Thursday, that number down by 83 since Wednesday.

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.