PIERRE, S.D. (WNAX) – South Dakotans who fall into the Phase 1 Group D category became eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination this week.

Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon says so far, the state has received about 11,000 doses of vaccine each week, so it’ll take a while to get through group 1D.

She says a variety of methods will be used to let the public know who is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine and when.

Some states have had storage issues causing some doses of the vaccine to spoil, but Malsam-Rysdon says that hasn’t happened yet in South Dakota.

Free saliva tests are available and Malsam-Rysdon encourages South Dakotans to order them using the covid.sd.gov website.

According to covid.sd.gov, nearly 48,500 South Dakotans have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination. Almost 10,000 people have completed the two shot series.