BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 989 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths in South Dakota Tuesday.
Twenty-three of the new cases are in Brookings County.
Brookings County cases have risen to 1,413 total cases (23 new confirmed): 1,033 of those people have recovered (33 new), with 376 active cases (down by 10) and four deaths (no change). A total of 6,336 people (46 new) have tested negative in Brookings County as of Tuesday, and 41 people in the county (one new) have been hospitalized at some point, the state reported.
There are 11 COVID-19 occupied hospital beds and two COVID-19 occupied ICU bed at the Brookings hospital, the DOH website reported Tuesday.
Brookings County remains in the “substantial” community spread category.
The state Department of Health data includes confirmed COVID-19 cases via traditional RT-PCR testing, plus probable cases based on rapid antigen testing, which detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Probable cases are investigated and handled in the same way as confirmed cases, DOH officials said.
The number of COVID-19 cases in South Dakota rose to 40,730 (989 new – 984 confirmed plus five probable) as of midday Tuesday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Of the statewide cases, 11,188 are classified as active (up by 127 from Monday). As of Tuesday, 29,167 people have recovered (862 new), 2,483 people have been hospitalized at some point (30 new), 395 people are currently hospitalized (up by 18), and 375 people have died (no change).
The SDDOH website reports 208,435 people (1,082 new) have tested negative in South Dakota.
Current hospitalizations may include out-of-state cases, and total hospitalizations only include South Dakota residents.
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 Tuesday included, but are not limited to, 109 in Bon Homme County, 23 in Brookings, 23 in Brown, 38 in Lincoln, 505 in Minnehaha, 23 in Oglala Lakota and 56 in Pennington.
The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (10,997), Pennington (4,239), Lincoln (2,661), Brown (1,983) and Codington (1,443).
According to the South Dakota State University COVID-19 dashboard, as of noon Tuesday, 22 students and 11 faculty/staff were self-reporting current (active) positive tests. A total of 104 faculty, staff and students were quarantined and isolated as of Tuesday, with four of those in campus facilities.
The Brookings School District COVID-19 dashboard reports that the district has seven active cases, as of Tuesday: five from Brookings High 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 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.
