With first doses completed and case numbers dropping, Newberry nursing home doctor optimistic about the future By Chris Joseph | February 3, 2021 at 3:27 PM EST - Updated February 3 at 5:53 PM NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - It’s hard to overstate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on South Carolina nursing homes. As of Feb. 2, the Department of Health and Environmental Control has tallied 1,762 resident deaths connected to the facilities and another 29 deaths among staffers. As for the living, WIS has documented the mental and emotional anguish of residents and their families as state safety measures have limited and prevented their contact.