COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW/WCBD) — According to Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) Recent Disease Activity data, most school districts in the Lowcountry don’t meet the Accelerate ED standards to hold in-person classes.
The data shows there are no counties in the state that have low recent disease activity. Marlboro County is the only county in the state with a medium recent disease activity. All other counties in the state have high recent disease activity.
The recent disease activity is determined based on the two week incidence rate (the number of new cases in the prior two weeks per 100,000 people), the trend in the incidence rate, and the two week percent positive rate.
Two week incidence rate:
- Low: 0 – 50
- Medium: 51 – 200
- High: More than 201
Trend in incidence rate:
- Decreasing: Low
- Stable: Medium
- Increasing: High
Two week percent positive rate:
- Low: Less than 5%
- Medium: 5.1% – 9.9%
- High: More than 10%
An overall assessment for each county is determined by a combination of the three metrics. If the rates for all three categories are the same, whatever that level is, is the overall level for that county. If the rates are different for each category, the overall assessment should be determined by the average of the levels.
Overall assessment for counties in the News 2 viewing area:
- Berkeley County: High
- Charleston County: High
- Colleton County: High
- Dorchester County: High
- Georgetown County: High
- Horry County: High
- Orangeburg County: High
- Williamsburg County: High
For schools in areas with high recent disease activity, full distance learning is recommended. For medium recent disease activity, a hybrid learning schedule is recommended. In-person classes are only recommended for schools in an area with low recent disease activity.
The categorizations will be updated by DHEC every Monday. For the recent disease activity for every county in South Carolina as of July 12, visit the DHEC website.
