PIERRE, S.D. – Minnehaha County reported another large number of positive COVID-19 cases in the latest report from the South Dakota Department of Health.
In fact, the 78 case increase in South Dakota’s most populous county pushed the 89 positive test total for today into the highest single day case load reported so far.
Of the 89 positive tests, there was an additional case in Pennington County, who has now seen 2 positive cases in two days after a week of having none.
The additional positive test in Pennington was the only one in western South Dakota.
There have now been 536 cases total in South Dakota.
In Sioux Falls, the Smithfield Food Plant continues to be a hot spot, and today Governor Kristi Noem says 190 cases are tied to that plant.
“Because it is a hot spot, we are deploying our resources there. We are testing people more and at a higher rate and monitoring everyone going in or out of that facility and we are working to isolate those who are sick or have been exposed to the virus.”
She says they are working with a very diverse workforce.
“We are working with community leaders and specifically making sure social distancing is happening outside of the workplace. The department of health is also working with language specialists to make sure they understand the importance of CDC guidelines.”
Noem says they have declared a public health emergency in Minnehaha County due to the Smithfield hot spot.
Despite the high number of cases in Sioux Falls, the Governor says the state is doing well – cutting its need for hospital beds and ventilators in half. But she encourages South Dakotans to not let their guard down and continue to practice social distancing and staying at home – especially with Easter coming this weekend.
The governor says South Dakota has the lowest hospitalization rate among the 46 reporting states.
