PIERRE, S.D. – For the first time since testing began, South Dakota saw a triple-digit increase in COVID-19 cases in the latest report from the state Department of Health.
Health officials reported 104 positive tests Sunday — bringing the statewide total to 730.
Again, the majority of the cases were in Minnehaha County, where there are 89 confirmed cases.
The other cases were spread around areas of eastern South Dakota.
In Western South Dakota, there were no new positive tests and some good news from Lawrence County — all 9 cases there have now recovered. That means, as of Easter Sunday, there were no active cases being reported in Lawrence or neighboring Meade County.
Pennington County also remained stable with 8 cases and 5 fully recovered.
There was also no change in the number of deaths, which remained at 6; however there were ten new hospitalizations reported. To date, 43 people have had to be hospitalized due to the virus.
Aside from the large number of cases in Minnehaha County, other counties with cases in the double-figures include Lincoln with 46, Beadle with 21, Yankton with 20, Brown with 14 and Codington with 12. It should be noted that Beadle has not had a positive case for over a week, and aside from the two residents who died, all 19 of the remaining people with the virus have since recovered.
In response to another large increase in cases in Minnehaha County, the Smithfield Food plant announced it would shut down indefinitely. This comes a day after the Governor and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken asked the company to shut down at least 14 days.
The State reported the plant, as of Sunday, was tied to 293 cases in Minnehaha County.
