One person was killed and two others injured following a head-on collision Wednesday in Spartanburg County, according to Trooper Joe Hovis, with South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The year 2020 wrapped with hospitals in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union Counties at or near capacity due to the number of admitted COVID-19 patients.
As of Thursday afternoon, Cherokee Medical Center in Gaffney was at 100% capacity, with zero beds available, according to data posted on DHEC’s website. Spartanburg’s hospitals are currently at 97.5% capacity with only 14 beds available.
And at Union Medical Center, in Union County, three beds are available.
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System manages hospitals in all three of these counties. As of Thursday evening, hours before the clock struck midnight ringing in the start of 2021, there were nearly 200 COVID-19 patients being treated for care across the hospital system.
DHEC chooses retired military officer as new leader amid coronavirus pandemic postandcourier.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from postandcourier.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Elijah Packer, a senior at College of Charleston, gets a COVID-19 test at a S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control pop-up testing site on campus on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. After a months-long search, Dr. Edward Simmer was chosen to lead DHEC and its 3,500 employees. File/Lauren Petracca/Staff
By Lauren Petracca lpetracca@postandcourier.com
Dr. Edward Simmer. File/Provided
A career military medical officer was chosen Tuesday to lead South Carolina s public health agency, filling a months-long vacancy amid the biggest health crisis in a century.Â
The agency s board members voted unanimously to put Dr. Edward Simmer in charge of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and its 3,500 employees, saying his experience and leadership qualities checked off all their boxes.
Leaders from all five Upstate health systems joined together to plead for the public to follow guidelines to flatten the COVID-19 curve with Christmas only days away and New Year s next week. We would ask that you continue to try and take great precautions over the upcoming holidays, said Dr. Brad Mock, AnMed Health s chief medical officer. While we recognize the difficulties, we all have a responsibility to try to do our part to decrease spread to our family, to our friends and to our neighbors.
In a briefing Monday afternoon, leaders from Prisma Health, Bon Secours St. Francis, Spartanburg Regional Health, AnMed Health and Self Regional Health, warned that a post-Christmas surge in cases would overwhelm hospitals. They ask that people use masks, socially distance, consider celebrating virtually, spend time outdoors if possible and to avoid large gatherings.