LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Test results for a woman in Lancaster County, South Carolina are 'presumptive positive' for the COVID-19 coronavirus, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced Wednesday.
The woman, who like other patients was not publicly identified, is hospitalized in isolation, according to officials.
"At this time there is no known travel outside the state or known contact with another case," the released statement from SCDHEC said.
Positive results from a state lab are considered to be 'presumptive positive' until they are confirmed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
In South Carolina, there are ten cases of coronavirus: 2 confirmed by the CDC, and 8 that are 'presumptive positive' awaiting CDC testing.
Employees at Brighthouse Financial in Ballantyne are being asked to work from home "until further notice" after a coworker was referred to coronavirus testing. While the test results haven't been shared with the public, a spokesperson for Brighthouse said the health and safety of employees is a priority.
Several cases of coronavirus have been reported to the south of Lancaster County in Kershaw County.
“Our top priorities remain preventing spread of the disease and protecting public health,” said Dr. Linda Bell, State Epidemiologist. “Our systems for protecting public health are working. We’re continuing to work with the CDC and our state and local partners, however, based on what’s occurring in other states and countries, we expect community spread to grow.”
DHEC has tested a total of 51 individuals for COVID-19, which includes the eight presumptive positive cases and two confirmed cases.
“We understand residents will have concerns about this indication of community spread, however, I urge the public to remain calm and follow recommendations to prevent the spread of illness, particularly those who are older or those who have underlying health conditions because they may have more severe illness if infected,” Bell said.
At this time, precautions are recommended to maintain daily routines of protecting against illness by practicing good hygiene, washing your hands, covering your cough. Individuals with signs of illness are asked to take seriously the recommendation to stay home from school and work and not attend public gatherings.
Residents who are showing symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath should call their personal doctor or healthcare provider. If an individual doesn’t have a primary care physician, MUSC Health is providing free telehealth screening to all South Carolinians. Anyone experiencing symptoms can visit MUSC.care and use the promo code COVID19 and be screened without having to leave your home.
The DHEC Care Line is available to provide general information about COVID-19 by calling 1-855-472-3432 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. seven days a week. Because call volume has been high, callers are urged to be patient if they receive a busy signal and try their call at a later time.