MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The number of people in Horry County hospitals with confirmed or suspected cases of the coronavirus increased by 466 percent between May 31 and June 29, according to data from the South Carolina State Emergency Response Team.

Hospitals in Horry County reported 21 COVID-19 patients on May 31. They had 119 patients by June 29.

The increase in hospitalizations follows a rapid spike in cases. Horry County broke 13 records for positive tests in June, with a peak of 214 positive tests on Sunday.

“Of course, hospitalizations are a lagging indicator,” according to a report by the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. “Most patients with a severe case develop symptoms within seven days and are hospitalized about a week later.”

Seventy percent of 665 staffed hospital beds had patients on May 31. The rate of occupied beds increased to nearly 81 percent on June 29.

“There has been no concerns raised by hospitals in Horry County concerning the number of COVID patients that DHEC is aware of,” said a spokesperson for the South Carolina Emergency Response Team.

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