SC reports 13 new COVID deaths, elevated positivity rate

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - In its weekly update on COVID-19, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says there were 13 new deaths related to the disease since last week.

DHEC reported 13,772 new cases for the week ending Saturday.

It said the percent-positive among testing was 23.2%.

The most recent count of people hospitalized with the disease stands at 477, a 13.8% increase over the previous week.

The state reported no deaths for the week ending July 9, but 13,164 new cases and a 22.9% positivity rate.

The community levels map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list 32 of the 46 South Carolina counties with high levels of COVID-19 and 13 with medium levels, DHEC says.

Counties listed with high levels include Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Williamsburg, Georgetown and Beaufort. Colleton County is listed with a medium level of COVID. Allendale County is the only county in the state listed with a low level of the disease.

The agency provides COVID-19 data and vaccine updates on Tuesdays and those updates include data from Sunday through Saturday of the previous week.