Coronavirus cases have spiked in Horry County. Now hospitalizations are too
The sharp increase in coronavirus cases in Horry County is starting to show up in local hospitals.
Tidelands Health housed just three patients who tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday, but that number has jumped to 20 as of Tuesday morning with another 14 awaiting test results, according to a Tidelands news release.
“In recent days, our region has seen a sharp increase in both the number of people testing positive for COVID-19, as well as in the overall percentage of positive tests,” Dr. Gerald Harmon, Tidelands vice president of medical affairs, said in the release. “Now, we’re seeing hospitalizations increase, as well.”
Harmon emphasized the importance of following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, including wearing a face mask in public, maintaining proper hygiene and social distancing.
Conway Medical Center, as of Tuesday, has 14 confirmed coronavirus patients and another 12 awaiting test results, according to numbers provided by spokeswoman Allyson Floyd. CMC had just four confirmed COVID-19 patients on Thursday, with 25 awaiting results at the time.
Numbers from Grand Strand Medical Center and McLeod Health weren’t provided before this story was published.
Horry County, which has been labeled a hot spot for the virus by South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control officials, has reported more than 100 confirmed coronavirus cases for seven consecutive days, surpassing 2,000 cases total on Monday.
Hospitalizations had remained low in Myrtle Beach-area hospitals as the cases spiked, but Dr. Brannon Traxler, a DHEC physician consultant, warned in early June that experts nationwide have found that hospitalizations and deaths typically lag behind by a week or two compared to case counts because patients often get more sick during the second week of showing symptoms.
Horry County has reported 39 coronavirus-related deaths, including 15 since the beginning of June, according to DHEC data.
Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients have increased statewide, with DHEC reporting 731 such patients occupying inpatient beds in its Monday update, the first time that number has exceeded 700.
Tidelands has been hosting large-scale testing clinics, and its next one will begin 10 a.m. Friday at Coastal Carolina University, with capacity to test up to 2,500 people, according to its news release.
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 10:12 AM.
