The state reported its most covid-19 fatalities Thursday.

The count was 69 confirmed and 3 probable deaths.

5 of them were in Lexington County.

SC Health and Environmental Control officials admitted the deaths were over the past few weeks – not in a single day..

This delay is often attributed to ensuring deaths are accurately reported.

A cause of death is determined by a medical certifier or a coroner.

To clearly provide accurate data, DHEC is publishing covid-19 deaths by date on its Testing and Projections webpage. 

DHEC today announced 1,842 new confirmed cases, 4 new probable cases, 69 more confirmed deaths and 3 new probable deaths.

This brings the total confirmed cases to 63,880, probable cases to 203, confirmed deaths to 1,053 and 17 probable deaths. 

55 deaths were elderly individuals in Anderson (1), Beaufort (3), Charleston (11), Chester (1), Chesterfield (1), Colleton (3), Darlington (1), Dillon (2), Florence (1), Georgetown (1), Greenville (13), Greenwood (1), Horry (4), Kershaw (1), Lancaster (1), Lexington (3), Orangeburg (1), Pickens (1), Richland (3), Spartanburg (1), and Williamsburg (1) counties.

14 deaths were middle-aged individuals in Berkeley (2), Charleston (1), Greenville (3), Greenwood (1), Lexington (2), Orangeburg (3), Pickens (1), and Richland (1) counties.

2 probable deaths were in elderly individuals in Abbeville (1) and Spartanburg (1) counties.

1 individual whose age is being confirmed died in Saluda County.

Confirmed cases by county were Abbeville (5), Aiken (32), Allendale (9), Anderson (66), Bamberg (16), Barnwell (13), Beaufort (108), Berkeley (67), Calhoun (18), Charleston (230), Cherokee (4), Chester (16), Chesterfield (11), Clarendon (9), Colleton (13), Darlington (16), Dillon (9), Dorchester (64), Edgefield (3), Fairfield (23), Florence (58), Georgetown (23), Greenville (230), Greenwood (17), Hampton (10), Horry (142), Jasper (16), Kershaw (14), Lancaster (25), Laurens (18), Lee (7), Lexington (58), Marion (6), McCormick (7), Newberry (18), Oconee (16), Orangeburg (80), Pickens (27), Richland (125), Saluda (1), Spartanburg (90), Sumter (30), Union (4), Williamsburg (13), York (75)

Probable cases by county were in Abbeville (1), Aiken (1), Saluda (1), Spartanburg (1)  counties.

As of Wednesday,  587,567 tests have been conducted in the state.

8,643 individual test were reported to DHEC yesterday statewide.

21.3% tested positive for the virus. That means 78.7% tested negative as being virus free.

As of this morning, 2,946 hospital beds are available and 7,935 are in use, a 72.93% use rate.

Of the 7,935 beds in use, 1,578 are occupied by covid-19 patients, 214 of them on ventilators.