SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (By The state saw 83 new coronavirus cases from more than 1,000 new tests, with more than a quarter of the new cases in Beadle County, the South Dakota Department of Health reported Thursday.
COVID-19 deaths remained steady at 54. One person was a Brown County resident.
There have been 266 cases confirmed in Brown County, according to the health department. That’s up five from Wednesday. There are 75 active cases and have been 13 people ever hospitalized. There have been 1,408 negative tests.
Overall, authorities have confirmed 4,793 cases since the pandemic was first confirmed in South Dakota on March 10. Four additional hospitalizations were reported Thursday, bringing that number to 105 currently with 406 people ever hospitalized. There are 1,041 active cases and have been 34,233 negative tests.
Thursday’s daily positive rate of 83 new cases on 1,020 tests was just above 8%.
The daily positive rate on new tests has been at or below 10% for much of the latter half of May, a key indicator that transmissions have slowed amid more aggressive testing by health officials.
The increase in cases in Beadle County appears, in part, to be tied to the JackLink’s beef jerky plant in Alpena in neighboring Jerauld County. State Epidemiologist Josh Clayton identified the plant Thursday as a hot spot with 66 cases. Meanwhile, the DemKota Ranch Beef plant in Aberdeen has 153 cases.