Coronavirus live updates for Nov. 7: Horry County sees nearly 80 new COVID-19 cases
Horry County coronavirus cases increased by 78 Saturday with another three deaths, health officials announced.
The county has now seen 11,966 positive tests and 214 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in March, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The latest caseload comes as South Carolina health officials warned of a fall virus surge, similar to spikes seen across the country. This week, the U.S. announced 100,000 virus cases in a single day for the first time.
The arrival of flu season also poses a threat amid the coronavirus pandemic, and health officials urged everyone over the age of six months to get a vaccine. The flu and the coronavirus have many of the same symptoms, and it can be difficult to distinguish them from each other. Health experts warn it could be possible to contract both at the same time.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Myrtle Beach area Nov. 7:
Georgetown County cases grew to 2,052 Saturday with 10 new cases. In the county, 41 people have died of COVID-19 since mid-March, according to DHEC.
In South Carolina, there have been 174,862 positive coronavirus tests and 3,756 deaths, DHEC data shows.
CCU cases remain low
Coronavirus cases at Coastal Carolina University remain extremely low, though there was a slight increase this week after six consecutive weeks of decreasing positive cases compared to the previous week among students, according to the school.
The college announced five new cases Friday in the week from Oct. 29-Nov. 4, three of them among students and two among employees. The university announced just one new case last week and two cases the previous week, all among 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 26 reported positive cases over the past five weeks combined.
The university has registered a total of 332 cases, including 303 among students, since testing began on June 8 when athletes began returning to campus for workouts.
CCU also reported no students in isolation for positive tests or in quarantine through contact tracing on Wednesday. A total of 227 students in university housing have been released or cleared from isolation, and 366 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. Fall classes will resume and conclude online from Nov. 30-Dec. 4.
The start of the spring semester has been pushed back a week to Jan. 19 and spring break is April 5-10, which coincides with Easter. Students will have four learning options in the spring: in-person, remote, remote synchronous streaming, and a hybrid in-class with streaming and remote synchronous.
Approximately 3,800 students moved into university housing between Aug. 12 and Sept. 4 among CCU’s more than 10,000 students, 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 the City of Myrtle Beach, the City of North Myrtle Beach and Georgetown County.
To get a free DHEC-sponsored test, visit scdhec.gov/findatest for a testing location near you. DHEC testing is free, doesn’t require insurance, and results are available within 72 hours. DHEC’s testing options have expanded to include shallow nasal testing, an oral swab, or a saliva test at different locations.
* Editor’s Note: The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s daily news releases sometimes show case numbers that differ from the department’s map. Officials have said the map is the most accurate source, so the map numbers are cited by The Sun News. DHEC also lists “probable” coronavirus cases and deaths, but because those cases are not confirmed they are not included in The Sun News’ reports.
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 11:59 AM.
