Coronavirus cases increase by 67 in SD, no new deaths
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Dakota increased by 67 on Tuesday and no new deaths were reported.
South Dakota has a total of 4,653 COVID-19 cases, according to the South Dakota Department of Health. That doesn’t include people who show symptoms or are asymptomatic but are not tested. The total number of coronavirus deaths in South Dakota remained at 50.
A total of 1,755 test results were reported on Tuesday and the positive rate was 3.8%.
The increase in negative test results is due to the mass testing events that began last week at nursing homes in communities where there is substantial community spread of the coronavirus, State Epidemiologist Josh Clayton said. A total of 1,157 nursing home residents and 1,812 staff have been tested so far, and tests are scheduled this week for 1,159 residents and 1,965 staff, according to Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon. Following that, the state is planning to begin mass testing of all nursing home residents and staff in communities where there isn’t substantial community spread.
Last week, Avera Mother Joseph Manor and Nano Nagle Village in Aberdeen completed voluntary COVID-19 tests for residents and staff. All of those tests were negative, according to a news release from Avera.
Testing will be completed at all such South Dakota nursing homes and assisted-care centers in the weeks to come, and the Avera staff will be prepared in the event of positive tests, according to the release.
The state has some cases in which people have tested positive, recovered and then tested positive again either in a mass testing event or because they’ve shown symptoms again, Clayton said. He said there isn’t a specific number of people who have tested positive twice, but they are treated as a new coronavirus case if they’ve already completed the 14-day isolation period because there isn’t enough information yet on whether someone can become reinfected with the coronavirus.
Active cases, hospitalizations
The state has 1,075 active COVID-19 cases, according to the health department. Recoveries statewide increased to 3,528. The state health department says 378 total people have been hospitalized at some point during the pandemic. There have been 32,381 negative cases.
The number of people currently hospitalized for coronavirus has increased in recent days, from 85 people on Sunday to 106 people hospitalized on Tuesday. Coronavirus patients are occupying 4% of staffed hospital beds in the state while 57% of hospital beds are available, according to the health department.
COVID-19 patients are occupying 10% of intensive care unit beds, and 54% of ICU beds are available. Two percent of ventilators are being used by coronavirus patients while 75% of the state’s ventilator capacity is available, according to the state health department.
The World Health Organization suspended a hydroxychloroquine clinical trial during the weekend due to safety concerns. Malsam-Rysdon said the group conducting the study on the antimalarial drug in South Dakota considers actions taken with other hydroxychloroquine studies and discusses whether a change in course is needed in South Dakota. They take into consideration whether the trials are comparable in the trial participants, the dosage and a combination of hydroxychloroquine and other drugs being administered, she said.
County increases
Clayton noted that as South Dakota nears its peak, which is expected in mid- to late June, not all counties will experience an increase in cases at the same time.
Beadle County saw the largest increase in coronavirus cases on Tuesday with an increase of 18. The county now has a total of 150 cases. There are fewer than 40 cases connected to Dakota Provisions in Huron. LSI Jack Link’s in Alpena, on the border of Beadle and Jerauld counties, has a total of 58 cases, with 12 recovered, according to Clayton.
Brown County’s coronavirus cases increased by 10 on Tuesday for a total of 259. There are now 147 cases connected to DemKota Ranch Beef in Aberdeen and 115 of those have recovered, according to Clayton.
In Brown County, there now 82 active cases. There have been no deaths, 11 hospitalizations and 1,362 negative tests.
Other coronavirus cases were in Pennington County, which increased by six for a total of 162, and Union County, which increased by seven for a total of 86, according to the health department.
Sixteen counties haven’t had a positive coronavirus test yet, although they all have had negative tests: Bennett, Brule, Butte, Campbell, Custer, Dewey, Edmunds, Gregory, Haakon, Hanson, Harding, Jones, Kingsbury, Mellette, Perkins and Potter.