PIERRE, S.D.(KCCR)- A fourth surge in Covid-19 infections is sweeping across parts of the county.  At Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre, Hospitalist Dr. Philip Meyer says the surge spurred by the Delta variant of Covid is beginning to show.

Statewide cases are up 72-percent from last week with hospitalizations on the rise.  Meyer doesn’t believe hospitals will feel the squeeze the way they did last fall.

Meyer says the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant could be a game changer for children.

Meyer says a stat he recalled Wednesday put some 1700 to 1800 children currently in Intensive Care Units mainly across the southern U-S.