PIERRE, S.D. – Tuesday’s COVID-19 report included numbers from Saturday and Sunday, and showed 992 new cases. Of those, 200 are listed as probable.
Active cases were up 37 over yesterday to 7,263.
The number of people hospitalized was back up 18 today to 215. There were four new COVID-19 related deaths reported. The deaths were reported in Hamlin, Meade, Pennington and Turner Counties. The state’s death toll has now reached 2,092 since the pandemic began.
Pennington County’s three day total was 278 with 46 of those listed as probable.
Meade County added 65 total new cases with 3 of those probable and Lawrence County had 41 total new cases with one probable.
Elsewhere, Butte County reported 22 new cases, Custer and Fall River County each had 13 and Oglala Lakota County added 12.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health says they have traced 66 cases of COVID-19 back to this year’s rally, although many health officials believe it is much higher than that. The health department says the cases they are tracking are in South Dakota residents only and cover the dates of the rally only.
In Meade County, there have been 1,023 new cases since the Motorcycle Rally. Lawrence County has reported 756 cases since the rally and Pennington County has reported 3,421.
Dr. Shankar Kurra, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Monument Health says they anticipated a rise in cases linked to the rally.
He says the recent surge has left West River’s hospital with zero adult Intensive Care beds. Over 70-percent of those beds are now occupied by patients infected with COVID-19. The bulk of those patients are not vaccinated.
He says the health system is stressed and has begun converting regular hospital beds into I.C.U. beds.
Monument Health anticipates peak COVID cases toward the end of September and early October.
