Myrtle Beach area doubles up on COVID-19 deaths last week with 20 as cases dip slightly
As COVID-19 cases appear to be on a downward trend in the Myrtle Beach area, deaths stemming from the virus are on the rise with the total surpassing 100, according to the latest figures from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Last week, Horry County recorded its highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single week, bringing the total number of fatalities to 103. Since July 5, weekly deaths have been recorded in the double-digits, with weeks prior seeing single-digit accounts, according to DHEC.
Between July 19-July 25, Horry County reported 20 new coronaviurs deaths, doubling the amount of deaths in the previous week, with at least one death recorded each day of the week, according to DHEC. Of the 20 deaths, 17 were elderly individuals, with the remaining three middle-aged people.
Between July 12-July 18, Horry County saw 10 deaths, according to DHEC. The area’s previous single-week record for deaths was 17 between July 5-July 11.
The area’s first death was reported on March 24.
Despite the rise in deaths, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has warned that “deaths always lag considerably” behind cases. He explained that as cases rise, deaths will remain minimal, but the opposite will occur when cases begin to see a decline.
As of Sunday afternoon, Horry County had had 7,450 positive cases of the coronavirus since mid-March, according to DHEC. There have been 103 COVID-19-related deaths in the county. Overall, South Carolina has 80,856 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,436 deaths, according to DHEC, as of Sunday.
With daily case totals relatively high in the Myrtle Beach area, the weekly case total reported in the county has actually declined for two consecutive weeks for the first time since April, according to DHEC data.
It’s unknown whether the slight dip in new cases also means a lower percentage of people getting tested are receiving positive results because DHEC doesn’t currently provide testing data by county.
However, it’s important to note that the new cases totals beginning to drop comes after several Horry County municipalities passed laws requiring folks wear face masks in retail, restaurants and professional services shops ahead of the July Fourth weekend.
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.
A DHEC spokesperson told The Sun News that the agency is closely monitoring data trends in areas with local mask ordinances, but it will take several weeks before any definitive trends can be established.
