BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 19 new COVID-19 deaths and 1,000 new cases in South Dakota Thursday.
Forty of the new cases are in Brookings County.
Brookings County cases have risen to 1,466 total cases (39 new confirmed and one new probable): 1,075 of those people have recovered (18 new), with 386 active cases (up by 22) and five deaths (no change). A total of 6,399 people (47 new) have tested negative in Brookings County as of Thursday, and 47 people in the county (two new) have been hospitalized at some point, the state reported.
There are 13 COVID-19 occupied hospital beds and two COVID-19 occupied ICU beds at the Brookings hospital, the DOH website reported Thursday.
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 43,000 (1,000 new – 918 confirmed plus 82 probable) as of midday Thursday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Of the statewide cases, 12,462 are classified as active (up by 529 from Wednesday). As of Thursday, 30,135 people have recovered (452 new), 2,602 people have been hospitalized at some point (57 new), 413 people are currently hospitalized (up by one), and 403 people have died (19 new).
The SDDOH website reports 210,514 people (1,218 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.
The new deaths, 11 women and eight men, are being reported in Beadle, Brown, Codington, Davison, Deuel, Hughes, Lincoln (2), Minnehaha (3), Roberts, Sanborn, Turner (5) and Walworth counties. The age ranges of the deceased are one 50-59 years, three 60-69 years, three 70-79 years and 12 in the 80-plus years category.
Increases in positive cases Thursday included, but are not limited to, 50 in Beadle County, 30 in Bon Homme, 40 in Brookings, 23 in Codington, 30 in Corson, 42 in Davison, 29 in Lawrence, 71 in Lincoln, 214 in Minnehaha, 46 in Oglala Lakota, 85 in Pennington and 34 in Yankton.
The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (11,495), Pennington (4,466), Lincoln (2,830), Brown (2,033) and Codington (1,502).
According to the South Dakota State University COVID-19 dashboard, as of noon Thursday, 16 students and 14 faculty/staff were self-reporting current (active) positive tests. A total of 94 faculty, staff and students were quarantined and isolated as of Thursday, with six of those in campus facilities.
The Brookings School District COVID-19 dashboard reports that the district has five active cases, as of Wednesday: three 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.
