Four more coronavirus deaths in South Dakota, 57 more cases
Lisa KaczkeFour more people have died of the coronavirus in South Dakota, and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state increased by 57 on Wednesday.
South Dakota has a total of 54 COVID-19 deaths, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.
Two people who died were Minnehaha County residents, one person was a Brown County resident and one was a Todd County resident. Two were women and two were men. One was in the 30-39 age range, one was in the 50-59 age range and two were in the 60-69 age range, according to the state health department. The person in the 30-39 age range didn't have underlying medical conditions, according to state epidemiologist Josh Clayton.
Jack Link's confirmed on Tuesday that an employee at its plant in Alpena died of the coronavirus.
More:Jack Link's Snacks worker dies of COVID-19 in South Dakota
South Dakota has a total of 4,710 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, according to the state health department. That doesn't include people who show symptoms or are asymptomatic but are not tested. A total of 968 test results were reported on Wednesday and the positive rate for coronavirus tests on Wednesday was 5.9%.
The state is not currently reporting results from antibody tests, which determine if a person has previously had the coronavirus, but the state plans to report them in the future once data quality and accuracy can be assured, according to health department spokesman Derrick Haskins. Clayton said when the state begins to report the antibody test results, it will report those separate from the state's daily case count to ensure there's a clear picture of the situation in the state.
As of Tuesday, South Dakota hasn't had any cases of the coronavirus-related pediatric multisystem infammatory syndrome that has been seen in children in other states, according to Haskins.
The state has completed mass testing of 1,899 nursing home residents and 2,074 nursing staff as of Wednesday morning. The state has 6,600 tests in progress at nursing homes and 4,400 tests scheduled at nursing homes, according to Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon. The test results are reported in the state's daily case count, but the state also plans to announce the overall results of the nursing home mass testing once all tests have been completed. So far the number of positive tests has been low, Malsam-Rysdon said.
The state is also in talks with two tribes to complete mass testing. About 250 South Dakota residents were tested last week in a mass testing event for the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate that South Dakota and North Dakota jointly conducted, according to Haskins.
Active cases and hospitalizations
The state has 1,037 active COVID-19 cases, according to the state health department. Recoveries statewide increased to 3,619. The state health department says 391 total people have been hospitalized during the pandemic, and 101 are currently hospitalized. While the number of people hospitalized decreased between Tuesday and Wednesday, 13 new people were hospitalized with coronavirus between the two days, according to Clayton.
Coronavirus patients are occupying 4% of staffed hospital beds in the state while 57% of hospital beds are available, according to the state health department. Coronavirus patients are occupying 10% of intensive care unit beds, and 54% of ICU beds are available. Two percent of ventilators are being used by coronavirus patients while 75% of the state's ventilator capacity is available.
County case counts
Cases in Minnehaha County increased by 11 to a total of 3,300, and Lincoln County's cases increased by three to a total of 236 cases. Of the cases, 2,813 have recovered in Minnehaha County and 194 cases have recovered in Lincoln County.
Beadle County had the largest increase in cases on Wednesday with 13 new cases. The county has a total of 163 cases. Sixteen of the 59 cases at Jack Link's in Alpena have recovered. Malsam-Rysdon said state health officials have reached out to Jack Link's several times and hope to continue to partner with them. The state has offered personal protective equipment and mass testing at the facility. The company has made some changes in the facility for social distancing and hand washing, she said.
Brown County increased by two cases to a total of 261 cases. At DemKota Ranch Beef, 117 of the 149 cases have recovered, according to Clayton.
Pennington County also had an increase of 10 cases, to a total of 172 cases, according to the health department.
Malsam-Rysdon said state health officials are aware that cities want more detailed information about where cases are located within a county, but the problem with reporting a city level is that it could potentially identify a specific resident in a small community. But if the case count gets to a point where identifying a resident isn't an issue, the health department could consider providing more specific geographic information, she said.