BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 579 new COVID-19 cases and two new deaths in South Dakota Saturday.
Twenty of the new cases are in Brookings County.
Brookings County cases have risen to 751 total positive cases (20 new Saturday): 625 of those people have recovered (23 new), with 124 active cases (down by three) and two deaths. A total of 4,495 people (57 new) have tested negative in Brookings County as of Saturday, and 12 people (one new) 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 21,133 (579 new) as of midday Saturday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Of the statewide cases, 3,742 are classified as active (up by 235 from Friday). As of Saturday, 17,173 people have recovered (342 new), 1,434 people have been hospitalized at some point (34 new), 213 people are currently hospitalized (19 new), and 218 people have died (two new).
Current hospitalizations may include out-of-state cases, and total hospitalizations only include South Dakota residents.
The SDDOH website reports 165,001 people have tested negative (1,608 new) in South Dakota.
The new deaths, both men, are being reported in Codington and Pennington counties. The age ranges of the deceased are one 70-79 years and one in the 80-plus years category.
The deaths reported on the SDDOH data dashboard are deaths for which COVID-19 is listed as a cause or contributing factor on the certified death record.
Increases in positive cases Saturday included, but are not limited to, 26 in Beadle County, 20 in Brookings, 36 in Brown, 11 in Charles Mix, 37 in Codington, 25 in Davison, 10 in Grant, 45 in Hughes, 15 in Lawrence, 35 in Lincoln, 10 in Meade, 72 in Minnehaha, 18 on Oglala Lakota, 51 in Pennington, 23 in Roberts and 10 in Union.
The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (6,580), Pennington (2,249), Lincoln (1,331), Brown (1,160) and Codington (842).
According to the South Dakota State University COVID-19 dashboard, as of noon Saturday, 18 students and three faculty/staff were self-reporting current (active) positive tests. A total of 109 faculty, staff and students were quarantined and isolated as of Saturday, 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 eight active cases, as of Saturday: three from Brookings High School, two from Mickelson Middle School, two 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.
