With slowing vaccination rates and the emergence of the delta variant, COVID-19 continues to spread through the United States. To date, 39,893,580 Americans have been infected with the virus — and 635,606 have died as a result. On a per capita basis, the U.S. has one of the highest known infections rates in the world.
In the Columbia metropolitan area, located in South Carolina, a total of 123,892 COVID-19 cases have been reported to date. Adjusted for population, there have been 15,170 reported infections for every 100,000 people in the area — above the national rate of 12,194 cases per 100,000 people.
Though per capita cases of COVID-19 are higher in Columbia than they are nationwide, there are still parts of the metro area where the per capita infection rate is relatively low.
The broader Columbia metro area comprises six counties or county equivalents — and of them, Saluda County in South Carolina has the fewest COVID-19 cases per capita. So far, there have been a total of 2,164 infections in Saluda County, or 10,661 for every 100,000 people.
Though Saluda County has the lowest per capita infection rate in the Columbia metro area, its per capita fatality rate is disproportionately high.
There have been a total of 241 coronavirus-related deaths for every 100,000 people in Saluda County, above the 192 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 across the entire Columbia metro area.
All COVID-19 data used in this story are current as of Sept. 8, 2021.
| Rank | Geography | COVID cases per 100,000 people | Total cases | Deaths per 100,000 people | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saluda County, SC | 10,661 | 2,164 | 241 | 49 |
| 2 | Calhoun County, SC | 10,902 | 1,604 | 306 | 45 |
| 3 | Fairfield County, SC | 13,055 | 2,965 | 383 | 87 |
| 4 | Richland County, SC | 14,735 | 60,157 | 158 | 647 |
| 5 | Kershaw County, SC | 15,801 | 10,170 | 255 | 164 |
| 6 | Lexington County, SC | 16,357 | 46,832 | 202 | 577 |
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