Middle-aged Oconeean dies from virus

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Thursday announced 1,636 new confirmed cases and 20 new probable cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, 48 additional confirmed deaths and 8 new probable deaths. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 87,117 probable cases to 455, confirmed deaths to 1,600, and 67 probable deaths. The 48-deaths included a middle aged Oconee County person who died Tuesday.  So far, Oconee’s death toll is believed to be five from the virus.  Among the new cases reported statewide yesterday were 23 from Oconee County. By Wednesday, a total of 745,198 tests had been conducted in the state.  Additional tests were given during a scheduled five-hour event yesterday on the grounds of Walhalla High.  But that testing event was interrupted by a severe storm, packing lightning, during the early afternoon. The total number of individual test results reported to DHEC Wednesday statewide was 7,600 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 21.5%. Since July 22, the federal government has required hospitals nationwide to report data directly to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through a new TeleTracking system, which replaces the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Healthcare Safety Network system that had been used by hospitals for reporting data throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.