COVID-19 patients using ventilators increase as cases surge in SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - As coronavirus cases in South Carolina continue to surge, we are also seeing increases in the number of COVID-10 patients relying on ventilators.

The good news is that hospitals in the state are nowhere close to running out of ventilators.

But the bad news is that in two months we’ve seen a one hundred and twenty two percent increase in the number of COVID patients who need those ventilators to breathe.

When the coronavirus first came to South Carolina, hospitals were able to get hundreds of extra ventilators just in case. Now, with the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, more of those machines are being used.

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division tells us on May 8, there were 2,003 ventilators in the state and 59 COVID patients needed them.

Today, the EMD says that there are 2008 machines total and 131 COVID-19 patients are being ventilated.

Ventilators are also in use for patients with other critical illnesses.

There are still more than 1,400 ventilators available in South Carolina, should patient need keep going up.

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