COVID-19 live updates for Dec. 24: Georgetown Co. hospital bed capacity extremely low
Horry County added 336 new coronavirus cases and one death to its total count in the last two days.
That brings the county to a total of 16,744 confirmed cases since March, according to data released by The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. On Tuesday, Horry County had a total of 16,408 confirmed covid cases.
There have now been 251 confirmed covid deaths in Horry County.
Horry County hospitals are operating at 83.8% occupancy. That means there are 111 available hospital beds out of 683 total in the county.
In Horry County, there have been more than 2,500 new cases in the last two and a half weeks, according to the DHEC data.
Georgetown County added 77 new coronavirus cases to its count since Tuesday, according to DHEC data. The additions bring the total number of infections in Georgetown County to 2,809 since March.
Georgetown County hospitals are operating at 95.6% occupancy. Only eight hospital beds are available across the county out of 183.
Across the state, there have been 263,392 infections and 4,662 deaths recorded since March, according to DHEC.
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 24, 2020 at 2:55 PM with the headline "COVID-19 live updates for Dec. 24: Georgetown Co. hospital bed capacity extremely low."
