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The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced two additional deaths related to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. This brings the state’s total number of deaths to nine.

One patient was an elderly person from Kershaw County who had underlying health conditions. The second patient was an elderly person from Sumter County who also had underlying health conditions.

“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of these individuals and to all those in South Carolina who have suffered the loss of loved ones to COVID-19,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC physician consultant, said in a release. “This unfortunate announcement is a reminder of the importance of taking actions to protect ourselves, our family and friends, and our community from this disease.”

DHEC also is investigating 32 additional cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number statewide to 456 cases in 39 counties.

The fluctuation in the number of new cases from day to day reflects the availability of the reagents, or chemicals, needed for laboratories to perform the testing. There is currently a shortage of these reagents nationwide, including in South Carolina, which can lead to delays in test results.

As new information is provided to the department, some changes in cases may occur. Cases are reported based on the individual’s county of residence, as it is provided to the department.