BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 252 new COVID-19 cases and two new deaths in South Dakota Sunday.
Seven of the new cases are in Brookings County.
Brookings County cases have risen to 665 total positive cases (seven new Sunday): 566 of those people have recovered (nine new), with 97 active cases (down by two) and two deaths. A total of 4,231 people (32 new) have tested negative in Brookings County as of Sunday, and 10 people in the county (one new) 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 18,696 (252 new) as of midday Sunday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Of the statewide cases, 2,843 are classified as active (down by 103 from Saturday). As of Sunday, 15,651 people have recovered (353 new), 1,288 people have been hospitalized at some point (20 new), 170 people are currently hospitalized (up by 17), and 202 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 157,657 people have tested negative (880 new) in South Dakota.
The new deaths are both men from Minnehaha County. The age ranges of the deceased are 70-79 years and 80-plus years old.
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, Communications Director Derrick Haskins said.
South Dakota's test positivity rate for the last week is at 10.6%, and 10.9% for the last two weeks, according to the SDDOH website. Brookings County’s test positivity rate for the last week is at 13.6%, and 15.6% for the last two weeks.
Increases in positive cases Sunday included, but are not limited to, 10 in Brown County, 24 in Codington, 16 in Hughes, 14 in Lincoln, 46 in Minnehaha and 24 in Pennington.
The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (6,216), Pennington (1,984), Lincoln (1,204), Brown (1,027) and Codington (706).
According to the South Dakota State University COVID-19 dashboard, as of noon Sunday, 28 students and four faculty/staff were self-reporting current (active) positive tests. A total of 138 faculty, staff and students were quarantined and isolated as of Sunday, with 25 of those in campus facilities.
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.
