How does Hampton County die?
Death by the numbers in a rural South Carolina county. The living can learn a lot from the dead if they talk to the right person, and Hampton County Coroner Angie Topper is no stranger to death. Her mother died in her arms of cancer in 2006, and her father of multiple factors in 2017. She served the public as a deputy coroner for years for taking the lead role in the local Coroners Office in 2019. I am the voice of the deceased, said Topper. They cant tell us what happened, so I have to speak for them.  Death is not just a grim part of the human condition that we must all accept; it is also an aspect of life that health care systems and local governments deal with on a regular basis. Topper says that she tries to handle death as both a caring person and a public official. Death is hardits hard to lose a loved one. When I respond to a death, I try to get on a familys level. I know I am there to do a job, as Coroner, but I can also bring the Angie out. I try to hold them, and talk to them, or just let them talk, before I try to get the information I need. No matter how long it takes." With COVID-19 impacting death rates both locally and globally, The Hampton County Guardian sat down with Topper to examine the underlying causes of death in our county and review recent data. According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environment Control (DHEC), to date 52 Hampton County residents have suffered some type of COVID-19 related death. With that number impacting such a small, rural population, one would think that there would be a notable spike in overall death rates, but a look at recent data from the Coroners Office does not support that notion. In 2018, the H.C. Coroners Office recorded 171 total deaths, in 2019 there were 110 total deaths, and in 2020the worst of the pandemic--there were 186 total deaths, only 15 more than two years before. So far in 2021, Toppers office has recorded 53 overall deaths at the years midpoint, giving indication that this year might be on track to be an average or even slightly below average year for death rates, compared to the three years prior. Despite the COVID-related deaths, there appears to be no major spike in overall death rates in 2020 and 2021, but more of a natural, statistical fluctuation. One could theorize from this four-year local data trend that many of the elderly patients--the age group most impacted--who died from COVID would have passed away from natural causes regardless of the ongoing pandemic, but that conclusion is up for debate, and data would likely vary from region to region. In addition to pandemic deaths, other types of death have also struck the local population hard and in emotional ways, said Topper, such as recent natural disasters, drug overdoses and shooting incidents. Between COVID-19 and the tornado [which killed five people in April 2020], 2020 was a rough, tragic year, said Topper. If neither of those things would have happened, it would have been a fairly average year.  Here is how death rates break down per year by type of death since Topper has been in office (2020 and 2021):  H.C. deaths in 2020  -Eight motor vehicle accident (MVA) deaths  -Four child fatalities (This includes one child that was struck by a car and one child drowning. Any death of a child in S.C. is investigated and recorded separately, per state law.) -Three shooting-related homicides  -One drug overdose  -One suicide (by hanging)  -169 other deaths (Includes 116 natural deaths, 24 in hospice, nine in hospitals, two confirmed COVID-positive, 17 in nursing homes, and one possibly drug related. While other deaths are COVID probable, Topper only records deaths as COVID-related if the deceased tested positive.) Yearly total: 186  Death to date in 2021  -Two MVAs  -Two child fatalities (one dog attack and one infant case)  -Three shooting related homicides  -One suicide (gunshot)  -One drug overdose  -One adult drowning  -Three in nursing homes  -13 in hospice  -27 natural deaths  Yearly total: 53  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 18.8 percent of Hampton Countys population of 19,222 people is 65 and older. Of the 15,334 adults in this county, 3,512 are senior citizens. Recent local death rate data suggests that natural deaths and hospice/hospital deaths make up the majority but MVAs, homicides, drug overdoses and accidents are definitely a factor each year. Note: The H.C. Coroners Office does not respond to all deaths in the county, such as hospice deaths or those in a hospital, but all deaths of county residents are recorded by that public office. The local Coroner, in addition to the local hospital, are also the only official sources that can issue a permit to transport and bury a persons body. About the artist and illustration: Rylee Thompson, a rising Junior at Wade Hampton High School, was tasked by her Art II instructor to create a piece of art which displayed the emotions and effects of COVID-19. Her creation was featured in the WHHS Yearbook this year. Thompson says that her greatest wish is for more focus to be placed on art programs in our school systems, adding that "There are many people in Hampton County, young and old, beginners and professionals, who are interested in the arts. I encourage our community to continue its support in creating more opportunities for our local creators.