COVID-19 live updates for Dec. 19: Horry County adds more than 150 new cases
The Myrtle Beach area continued to see its coronavirus case count grow on Saturday with another 158 infections added to its totals, according to the latest update from state health officials.
Horry County’s COVID-19 cases now totals 16,057 since the pandemic started in early March. That is up from the 15,899 cases that were reported as of Friday.
The area has also had 245 coronavirus-related deaths during the pandemic, according to Saturday’s data released by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Myrtle Beach area Dec. 19:
There have been nearly 183,000 coronavirus tests in Horry County since March, according to DHEC data. Roughly 24,600 tests returned a positive result, which is a rate of 15.3%.
Among the Horry County residents who died from COVID-19, about 58 percent were men. Roughly 67 percent of the deaths were in white individuals and 13 percent in black individuals.
Georgetown County has seen a total of 2,650 cases and 50 deaths, according to DHEC data.
Across South Carolina, there have been 250,386 cases and 4,529 deaths.
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 December 19, 2020 at 11:12 AM.
