Some Myrtle Beach area hospitals are still testing hundreds of people for COVID-19 weekly
The number of patients with COVID-19 are below double digits at some Grand Strand hospitals as trends in the area remain fairly steady over the last two weeks.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has announced just over 10 new cases in Horry County since Monday. Last week, there were 36 new cases of the coronavirus in the county. The previous week — April 27 to May 3 — there were 27 newly confirmed cases in the county.
It is nearly impossible to compare the amount of positive cases announced by the week in Horry County to the number of tests administered because DHEC does not appear to be tracking tests administered by location. But some local hospitals in the area have released the number of tests the facilities have administered.
Overall, Conway Medical Center has had 68 positive COVID-19 test results — both inpatient and outpatient — out of the 1,256 tests given, and has another 112 tests pending results, as of Wednesday, said Allyson Floyd, CMC spokesperson. The hospital had no COVID-19 positive inpatients and had eight patients suspected of having the virus as of Wednesday, Floyd said.
Since May 6, the hospital has performed 225 tests, Floyd said.
With another wave of businesses reopening Monday, Tidelands Health officials say the hospital system will continue to be prepared as it’s possible there could be an uptick in exposures when people begin visiting more places.
Gayle Resetar, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Tidelands Health, said it is critical that people continue to practice social distancing and wash their hands.
“This isn’t completely over, we don’t have a vaccine,” she said. “We have got to do several things and maintaining social distancing is still crucially important.”
There has yet to be a spike in coronavirus cases on the Grand Strand, though businesses have started reopening and more will soon reopen.
As of Tuesday, Tidelands had two COVID-19 patients hospitalized, said Dawn Bryant, a spokesperson for Tidelands. In the last week, Tidelands has administered about 350 tests and has had 15 positive cases. Since the start of the pandemic, Tidelands has given 3,082 tests and has had 107 positive so far.
Resetar said the hospital has started to see an upward trend in normal care over the last two weeks, though emergency room visits remain down. Next week, the hospital plans to be fully operational with surgeries, Resetar said.
The hospital’s no-visitor policy in inpatient areas is still in effect and will be reviewed again in the coming weeks, Resetar said.
Grand Strand Medical Center continues to see a “low volume” of COVID-19 cases, said spokesperson Katie Maclay. The hospital has tested over 800 patients for COVID-19, she said.
On Wednesday, the hospital had one patient admitted with the virus, Maclay said. As of Tuesday, Maclay said the hospital had 90 available beds for any patient needing care.
Horry County has had 18 deaths due to the coronavirus as of Thursday morning, DHEC reports. The highest amount of deaths in the county was between April 27 and May 3, with five deaths during that time. May 4 was the last death announced by DHEC in Horry County.
The Sun News requested information about the amount of COVID-19 patients and empty beds from McLeod Health’s facilities in Horry County, but spokesperson Tracy Stanton responded: “DHEC continues to monitor the public health models and all COVID-19 cases in the state. They would be able to provide you with information to answer your questions.”
When challenged about not having the hospital’s numbers, Stanton said: “Our patients are not numbers. They are lives to be valued and protected. We take that obligation seriously and are managing daily as this unprecedented event continues to evolve. We ask for grace, patient privacy, and encouragement during these challenges, as we serve the needs of our community through this worldwide pandemic every day.”
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 1:47 PM.
