State health officials reported 1,617 new confirmed cases and 398 probable cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, along with 26 additional confirmed deaths and 17 probable deaths.

Saturday's announcement represents the test results and deaths reported to the state on Thursday.

Greenwood County added 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Abbeville County recorded 12, Laurens County saw 12, McCormick County logged three and Saluda County had three. McCormick County recorded one probable COVID-19 death.

This brings South Carolina's number of confirmed cases to 434,589, probable cases to 66,688, confirmed deaths to 7,352 and probable deaths to 904.

About 80% of hospital beds are filled across the state, with 1,086 (12.0%) of those patients being treated for COVID-19. Of those, 246 patients are in ICU and 144 are on ventilators.

A confirmed case is an individual who had a confirmatory viral test performed by way of a throat or nose swab and that specimen tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, DHEC reports. A positive viral test, also called a PCR test or molecular test, alone is enough to classify a confirmed case.

DHEC reports a probable case is an individual who has not had a confirmatory viral test performed but has:

1. epidemiologic evidence and clinical evidence of infection, or

2. a positive antigen test and either epidemiologic evidence or clinical evidence.

A confirmed death is said to be someone whose death is related to COVID-19 and who tested positive with a confirmatory viral test for COVID-19.

A probable death classification refers to an individual whose death certificate lists COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death but did not undergo confirmatory viral testing.

Cumulative confirmed case totals for Greenwood and surrounding counties are:

Abbeville — 1,877 (28 deaths)

Edgefield — 2,315 (25 deaths)

Greenwood — 6,524 (138 deaths)

Laurens — 5,719 (132 deaths)

McCormick — 715 (16 deaths)

Newberry — 3,549 (82 deaths)

Saluda — 1,397 (37 deaths)

Who Should Get Tested?

If you are out and about in the community, around others, or not able to socially distance or wear a mask, DHEC recommends that you get tested at least once a month.

Routine testing allows public health workers to diagnose those who are asymptomatic and interrupt the ongoing spread of the virus. Learn more about who should get tested here: scdhec.gov/covid19/who-should-get-tested-covid-19.

Testing in South Carolina

As of Thursday, 5,679,570 tests had been conducted in the state. The total number of individual test results reported Thursday to DHEC was 7,352 (not including antibody tests) and the percent positive was 8.3%.