13 virus-related deaths reported Thursday, cases top 30,000

Thirteen more South Dakotans with COVID-19 have died from the virus, the South Dakota Department of Health reported Thursday, while active cases surged to beyond 7,000.

The department reported that an additional 797 people tested positive for the disease. Of the 7,132 people with active infections, 304 of them were occupying staffed hospital beds in the department’s daily snapshot. Of the active cases that required hospitalization, 275 were people older than 60.

Eight of the new deaths were in people 80 or older while three were in people 70-79. One was a person 60-69 and one a person 40-49. Eight were men, five were women.

Three deaths were in Minnehaha County, two in Jerauld and Meade counties, and there was one each in Beadle, Brule, Gregory, Lincoln, Oglala and Turner counties.

The state reported 256 new recoveries Thursday.

In Brown County, 24 new cases were reported for a total of 1,650, according to the health department. Of those, 312 were active — up six from Wednesday. There were 14 people in the hospital, down two from Wednesday, and 83 people have ever been hospitalized. There have been four deaths.

Codington County saw 29 new cases Thursday for a new total of 1,180, of which 223 were active. That’s an increase of 22 active cases from Wednesday. There were seven people in the hospital — unchanged — with 78 ever having been hospitalized. There have been 10 deaths.

Across the 19-county Glacial Lakes region, there were 43 people in hospitals Thursday with seven intensive care and one on a ventilator, according to the state. Nearly 55% of staffed hospital beds were available.

Minnehaha County had 134 new infections Thursday, and Lincoln County had 46.

The Bennett County at Mobridge-Pollock high school football game scheduled for Friday night has been canceled because of COVID-19 concerns at Bennett County, the school district reported on social media.

Statewide, there have been 31,012 cases since the start of the pandemic in March, according to the health department. There have been 2,000 people ever hospitalized.