Deaths and hospitalizations from the coronavirus pandemic in South Carolina peaked earlier this month, according to dramatically revised projections posted Saturday by state health officials.

Information on the state Department of Health and Environmental Control's website indicates that COVID-19 deaths in South Carolina peaked on April 9. The agency's website predicts that a total of 217 people in South Carolina will die of COVID-19 by Aug. 4, with fatalities leveling off next month.

SC coronavirus map:A look at COVID-19 cases by county and zip code

The DHEC website also states that the peak resource use in South Carolina hospitals related to the coronavirus happened on April 15.

Projections posted on DHEC's website as recently as Thursday, however, indicated that the peak resource use would occur April 30, followed by a peak in deaths on May 2. It was estimated that 680 people in South Carolina would die from COVID-19 by Aug. 4.

According to DHEC's website, the agency is relying on projections prepared by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. The institute used some new sources of information, including population-level mobility data, to update its projections for U.S. states and other nations on Friday.

More:Upstate legislators say Gov. McMaster to announce reopening of retail stores and beaches

An email from the S.C. State Emergency Response Team to The Greenville News on Sunday said that, while projected peaks may have changed, new cases will continue to emerge.

"It's important to remember that, even when a peak is reached, people will continue to be infected, positive cases will continue to be reported and, unfortunately, deaths will continue to occur," the email said.

The email acknowledged that relaxing preventive measures too soon could "lead to a rebound" in positive cases.

"This is why we're continuing to look for opportunities to increase testing across the state and to monitor statewide data to verify when we are on the downward slope of the peak."

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As of Saturday, 4,246 people in South Carolina have tested positive for COVID-19 and 119 have died, according to DHEC. The 486 COVID-19 cases in Greenville County are the second-highest total in the state behind Richland County, which has 626. A total of 211 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Spartanburg County. There are 133 cases in Anderson County, 38 cases in Pickens County and 16 in Oconee County.

Revised projections come as McMaster prepares to reopen retail stores, beaches

On the same day that the new projections were posted on DHEC's website, two Upstate legislators said they were notified that McMaster plans to announce Monday that retail stores and beaches will reopen after being closed for weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

State Rep. Stewart Jones, a Republican from Greenwood, and state Rep. Josiah Magnuson, a Republican from Spartanburg County, both praised McMaster for his decision to start loosening some of the restrictions that he has imposed during the pandemic.

Republican state Rep. Bill Taylor of Aiken also had a positive reaction in an email to his constituents on Saturday night.

"That's the economic spark we need!" Taylor wrote.

In a post on his Twitter page Saturday, McMaster stated that he told governors of five Southeastern states that "South Carolina was ready" for people to return to work.

But neither McMaster nor his office have responded to requests for comment from the News seeking comment.

Friday's coronavirus update by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation includes estimates on when states could consider easing social distancing rules if containment measures are in place. Those measures include widely available testing, contact tracing and case-based isolation, as well as restrictions on mass gatherings.

According to the institute, the threshold date for easing social distancing in South Carolina is the week of June 1.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM