Updated at 3 p.m. Sept. 27.
BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 412 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths in South Dakota Sunday.
Twelve of the new cases are in Brookings County.
Brookings County cases have risen to 763 total positive cases (12 new Sunday): 640 of those people have recovered (15 new), with 121 active cases (down by three) and two deaths. A total of 4,541 people (46 new) have tested negative in Brookings County as of Sunday, and 12 people in the county have been hospitalized at some point, the state reported.
Brookings County remains in the “substantial” community spread category.
The number of South Dakotans who have tested positive for COVID-19 rose to 21,541 (412 new) as of midday Sunday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Of the statewide cases, 3,790 are classified as active (up by 48 from Saturday). As of Sunday, 17,533 people have recovered (360 new), 1,473 people have been hospitalized at some point (39 new), 216 people are currently hospitalized (three new), and 218 people have died (nochange).
Current hospitalizations may include out-of-state cases, and total hospitalizations only include South Dakota residents.
The SDDOH website reports 165,963 people have tested negative (962 new) in South Dakota.
Increases in positive cases Sunday included, but are not limited to, 12 in Brookings County, 29 in Brown, 30 in Codington, 12 in Davison, 24 in Lincoln, 18 in Meade, 70 in Minnehaha, 11 in Oglala Lakota, 62 in Pennington and 11 in Yankton.
The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (6,650), Pennington (2,311), Lincoln (1,355), Brown (1,189) and Codington (872).
According to the South Dakota State University COVID-19 dashboard, as of noon Sunday, 16 students and two faculty/staff were self-reporting current (active) positive tests. A total of 99 faculty, staff and students were quarantined and isolated as of Sunday, with 18 of those in campus facilities.
The Brookings School District COVID-19 dashboard, located at https://www.brookings.k12.sd.us/domain/510, reports that the district has six active cases, as of Sunday afternoon: two from Brookings High School, two from Mickelson Middle School, one from Camelot Intermediate School and one from Dakota Prairie Elementary.
The state Department of Health generally does not identify the specific communities within a county where cases are located, or a business, event or setting that may be the source of a surge to protect patient confidentiality.
Only a few exceptions are made, such as clusters when there are 40 or more cases identified in a single workplace/setting. The DOH will also issue a public health notice when an employee or patron of a business/event is unable to identify persons they were in close contact with (15 or more minutes within 6 feet or less) while able to transmit the virus.
The actual number of infections in the state is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.
The figures released by the state Department of Health do not include individuals who are asymptomatic or have symptoms of the coronavirus but are not being tested.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
Learn more at www.covid.sd.gov.
