Horry County has first case of COVID-19

by Nicholas Papantonis and Alexx Altman-Devilbiss

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — Horry County has its first positive test for coronavirus, officials confirmed Sunday morning.

Staff at Grand Strand Medical Center said the result came in Saturday night.

The patient is in isolation at the medical center, according to a spokesperson.

Grand Strand Medical Center provided a statement on Sunday morning confirming a patient in the facility tested positive for COVID-19, according to ABC15 media partner The Sun News.

“The patient is in isolation. We have been working with SCDHEC to identify and contact colleagues who may have been in contact with the patient,” according to the statement.

Staff members did not have any additional information as to where the patient had traveled in the community.

Grand Strand officials said they will continue to reinforce infection prevention protocols and are working in partnership with SCDHEC and local and state agencies.

This brings the total number of cases to 20 statewide.

Saturday, officials announced six new cases of COVID-19, four of which were in counties where the virus had not previously spread.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.