COVID-19 testing in S.C. nursing homes to begin next week.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will test residents and staff at every nursing home in South Carolina for COVID-19.

A phased testing approach to include approximately 40,000 residents and staff at 194 S.C. nursing homes will begin Monday, according to a new release from DHEC. Support will be provided by LabCorp, along with the South Carolina Health Care Association and Leading Age South Carolina.

The first phase of testing will include approximately 15,000 residents and staff at 74 facilities. Those facilities were identified based on risk, according to DHEC, though the majority volunteered to be tested in phase one.

Data released by DHEC late last month showed a Columbia nursing home had 78 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the highest number in the state.

"Many of us have family, friends and loved ones in these types of care facilities,"DHEC director Rick Toomey said in the release. "Across the country, COVID-19 has drastically impacted the residents and workers at nursing homes, and we want South Carolinians to know that DHEC is doing everything we can to stop the spread of COVID-19, especially for the vulnerable populations who...