Coronavirus live updates Oct. 17: Horry County sees more than 70 new COVID-19 cases
Coronavirus numbers continued to grow in Horry County with 75 additional cases Saturday.
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control officials say the Myrtle Beach area has seen a total of 10,994 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started in mid-March.
There have been 191 deaths in Horry County from coronavirus. There was one new death announced Saturday.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Myrtle Beach area Oct. 17:
In Georgetown County, the total number of coronavirus cases sits at 1,860. There have also been 35 deaths.
South Carolina has a total of 156,655 coronavirus cases since the pandemic started in March. There have also been 3,427 deaths across the state.
CCU cases remain low
For the fourth consecutive week, the number of positive coronavirus cases recorded among students at Coastal Carolina University decreased compared to the previous week, according to the school.
The school announced just nine new cases Friday in the week from Oct. 8-14, consisting of five among students, three among staff and one from a university affiliate who was on campus. The university announced nine cases last week as well, which were all students.
After announcing just three cases for the week of Aug. 20-26 – weekly test numbers are through 5 p.m. Wednesdays – the cases increased for three consecutive weeks, peaking with 82 on Sept. 16. But they’ve been on the decline since, dropping to a total of 59 reported positive cases over the past four weeks combined.
The university has registered a total of 324 cases, including 297 among students, since testing began on June 8 when athletes began returning to campus for workouts.
CCU also reported three students in isolation for positive tests and 11 in quarantine through contact tracing on Wednesday. A total of 224 students in university housing have been released or cleared from isolation, and 353 have been cleared from quarantine.
The positive test results are the combined totals of all university symptomatic testing – the general student population is being tested only when students request a test because they are symptomatic – regular surveillance testing results of student-athletes per Sun Belt Conference and NCAA guidelines, including at least weekly testing for in-season athletes, and positive test results reported by students, employees, and school affiliates.
Coastal is leasing off-campus housing properties to isolate students who have tested positive.
The fall semester began on Aug. 19 with online classes and in-person classes on campus began Sept. 8, though students have the option of either form of learning until the Thanksgiving break.
Approximately 3,800 students moved into university housing between Aug. 12 and Sept. 4, according to CCU vice president for auxiliary services Steve Harrison.
Wash your hands & wear a mask
This is your daily reminder to wash your hands often, wear a mask and practice social distancing.
DHEC asks people to wear a mask when visiting public places and practice social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is now mandatory to wear face masks in certain public areas in unincorporated Horry County, the City of Myrtle Beach, the City of North Myrtle Beach and Georgetown County.
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 11:16 AM.
