Are masks laws to slow COVID-19 in Myrtle Beach area working? Here’s are the numbers.
When Horry County saw a spike in its new COVID-19 cases, several municipalities passed laws requiring masks to help slow the spread — and it seems to be having an impact.
The number of coronavirus cases reported in the Myrtle Beach area has leveled this week compared with the previous several weeks. It’s an important trend as several Horry County municipalities passed laws ahead of the July Fourth weekend that required masks in retail and professional services shops.
Typically, it takes two weeks after an event or decision to see the impact in COVID-19 cases. If a person is sick and develops symptoms, they usually appear two to 14 days later. So experts say current cases actually reflects what happened two weeks earlier.
In the last week, Horry County averaged 125 new COVID-19 cases a day. Compare that to the entire month of July, in which the county saw on average 169 new cases a day. If just the first two weeks of July are considered - before any impact of mask laws could be measured — the average number of new daily cases was 195.
When the national media focused on Myrtle Beach as a COVID-19 “hot spot” for the last two weeks of June the county saw, on average, 142 cases a day.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune praised the trend but warned against residents and visitors easing up on protections. After Myrtle Beach and Horry County passed laws requiring face coverings, a count by the Sun News showed a dramatic increase in the number of people wearing a mask in many Grand Strand spots.
“The city is very pleased that we are seeing an impact that the masks are making. However, now is not the time to be complacent,” Bethune said. “It’s still crucial that we all take personal responsibility to wear our masks to keep our community, our businesses and our visitors safe.”
However, some health officials warn that it’s still too early to say if mask laws made an impact. Officials from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control say they are monitoring local mask laws, but don’t yet have enough data.
“We are looking at those areas with mask mandates and we will provide publicly our findings once we assure the data is sound, reliable and accurate,” officials said in a statement.
Conway Medical Center Chief Medical Officers Paul Richardson also said the hospital has a steady, high number of cases each day. If they discharge COVID-19 patients, it seems like they are admitting the same number.
“I think its too early to tell (if mask laws are having an impact),” Richardson said.
But, he stressed that wearing a mask helps slow the spread of the disease. Masks don’t protect the wearer from someone nearby as much as they help protect the wearer from infecting others, Richardson added.
“It does cut down on the amount of airborne particles,” Richardson said.
If new cases decrease, it will also help the medical community by reducing the number of patients, Richardson said. Some patients are very sick when they are admitted, which requires both resources and personnel to treat.
