South Carolina Announces COVID-19 Update for February 24th

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced 896 new confirmed cases, 299 new probable cases of COVID-19, and 25 additional confirmed deaths on February 24.

This latest update brings the total number of confirmed cases in South Carolina to 438,861, probable cases to 70,183, confirmed deaths to 7,460, and 938 probable deaths.

Hospitals Bed and Ventilator Use

Of the 9,031 inpatient beds currently being used for patient care, 968 are occupied by patients who have either tested positive or are under investigation for COVID-19. In addition, of the 1,319 ICU beds currently being used for patient care, 231 are occupied by COVID-19 patients. Meanwhile of the 1,955 available ventilators, 555 are in use and 129 of those are COVID-19 patients.

South Carolinians Encouraged to Know Their Status; Get Tested Regularly  

DHEC strongly encourages South Carolinians to get tested regularly in order to know their status for COVID-19 and take action. As part of its mitigation strategy, DHEC continues to work with community partners across the state to increase access to COVID-19 testing. To date, South Carolina has conducted more than 5.79 million COVID-19 tests. 

State Takes Mitigation Measures to Put Case and Contact Investigations to Best Use

Mitigation measures seek to put case and contact investigations to their best use possible to help public health officials focus on how best to prevent further spread of disease.

During the mitigation phase, efforts of contact investigation change from attempting to find the close contacts of each individual case to prioritizing case investigations of those who have tested positive for or were diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 6 days.

South Carolinians should not expect individual notification that they were exposed to a case.

How Can You Help?

Everyone must play a role in preventing spread during the mitigation phase. Public health officials stress the importance of wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, staying home and away from other people when sick, and washing our hands often regardless of if cases have been reported in your immediate community.

“Our chance of getting the best outcome hinges on us all doing our part,” Dr. Traxler said. “We need South Carolinians to continue to stand together to fight this disease by taking small steps that make a big difference, including wearing your mask, getting tested and staying home when you’re sick, avoiding large gatherings, practicing physical distancing, and when it’s your turn, getting vaccinated.”

People with signs of illness must stay at home and avoid public gatherings.

For the latest information about COVID-19, visit scdhec.gov/covid19.