PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Health updated the latest COVID-19 numbers today, and for the first time on their website, have added a county-by-county list of negative tests for the virus.
The new information gives an insight as to how many tests each county in the state has run on patients who show symptoms of the new coronavirus.
In today’s report, there were 101 new cases bringing the cumulative statewide total to 1,411. Minnehaha County recorded the most new cases, with 92. 36 of those cases are tied to the Smithfield Food Plant. Minnehaha now has a cumulative total of 1,157. Other cases were reported in Brown and Lincoln Counties.
There were no new cases in western South Dakota, but the new category of negative tests gave some indication as to how much testing is being done.
Meade County, for example, had 49 negative tests. The county has only had one reported case, and that person has since fully recovered from the virus.
Pennington County, who has had 10 positive cases, recorded 294 negative tests. Lawrence County, which has had 9 positive cases, has recorded 54 negative tests. Fall River County, who has had 1 positive test, has negatively tested 9 people and Oglala Lakota County, who has also had one positive case, has tested 21 people with negative results.
Western South Dakota counties that have not recorded a positive case but are testing include Custer County, with 13 negative tests, Butte County, with 12 negative tests and Harding County, with one negative test.
By comparison, hard hit Minnehaha County has 3,822 negative tests.
There were no new deaths reported in today’s report and so far, 457 people have recovered from the virus.
