BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 59 new positive COVID-19 cases and one new death in South Dakota Tuesday.
One of the new cases is in Brookings County.
Brookings County cases have risen to 121 total positive cases (one new Tuesday): 107 of those people have recovered, with 13 active cases and one death. A total of 2,563 people have tested negative in Brookings County as of Tuesday, and four people in the county have been hospitalized at some point, the state reported.
Brookings County remains in the “substantial” community spread category. Substantial community spread means there are five-plus cases of community-acquired COVID-19 in a county or a distinct group of cases in a single area.
The number of South Dakotans who have tested positive for COVID-19 rose to 9,079 as of midday Tuesday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Of the 9,079 statewide cases, 935 are classified as active (down by 11 from Monday). As of Tuesday, 8,008 people have recovered (69 new), 846 people have been hospitalized at some point (eight new), 42 people are currently hospitalized (up by three), and 136 people have died.
Officials say 106,302 people (674 new) have tested negative in South Dakota.
The new death is a man from Codington County in the 80-plus years age category.
Increases in positive cases Tuesday included, but are not limited to, five in Davison County, three in Lincoln, 25 in Minnehaha, three in Pennington and four in Turner.
The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (4,258), Pennington (848), Beadle (587), Lincoln (582) and Brown (412).
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.
No public health notices regarding specific businesses or events have been issued in Brookings County so far.
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.
