PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota saw its biggest number of cases of COVID-19 ever in a single day as the Department of Health on Wednesday reported 73 new positive tests. The statewide total is now 393. South Dakota is 47th in the nation in number of cases.
Thankfully, there were no new deaths, but the bulk of the new cases were once again in Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties. Minnehaha and the Sioux Falls area saw a whopping 63 new cases overnight, bringing their total to 228.
Lincoln County added an additional 4 cases. Other counties reporting new cases were Yankton, Bon Homme, Lake, Turner and Oglala Lakota County.
The case on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was announced yesterday – an employee with the Red Cloud School, who had traveled to California.
The Red Cloud School president says the person went into quarantine upon returning from the trip in accordance to the school’s travel guidelines.
The person began to feel ill on Friday and a positive test for COVID-19 came back this week. The person was hospitalized in Rapid City.
In response to the case, reservation president Julian Bear Runner put in place a no movement order. Only people who are involved in essential services are permitted to travel.
Other numbers released in today’s report indicate an additional 48 people who have recovered from the virus and 407 new negative tests. Three people have been hospitalized over the past 24 hours.
The number of deaths related to COVID-19 remained at six today.
State Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton talks about the large numbers of cases in Sioux Falls – a higher density area – and the belief they will see more cases in the state’s rural areas.
The Black Hills area has not reported a new positive test for several days. Lawrence County, who has had 9 cases, has seen 8 fully recovered. In Pennington County, all of the cases there have since recovered.
