PIERRE, S.D. (Six more people, including one in Brown County, have died of the coronavirus in South Dakota, and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state increased by 149 on Wednesday.
It was the third COVID-19-related death in Brown County. Roberts County recorded its first death from the virus.
South Dakota has a total of 129 COVID-19 deaths, according to the South Dakota Department of Health. The number of daily cases and deaths usually represents the cases reported to the health department in a 24-hour period, but the numbers on Wednesday represent cases reported in a 30-hour period “due to a delay in the daily data extraction,” according to the health department.
Three women and three men died of the coronavirus, according the health department. One was in the 50-59 age range, two were in the 60-69 age range and three were in the 80-plus age range. Aside from the deaths in Brown and Roberts counties, one was a Lincoln County resident, one was a Lyman County resident, one was a Minnehaha County resident and one was a Union County resident.
South Dakota had a total of 8,641 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, according to the health department. That doesn’t include people who show symptoms or are asymptomatic but are not tested. The test results of 2,223 people were reported on Wednesday, and the positive rate for coronavirus tests was 6.7%.
The state health department reported that 32 campers and staff at Camp Judson in Keystone have tested positive for the coronavirus, and all of them are South Dakota residents.
The state has 903 active COVID-19 cases, according to the health department. Recoveries statewide increased to 7,609. The state health department noted 810 total people have been hospitalized during the pandemic, and 46 are currently hospitalized. There have been 101,073 negative tests.
Brown and Codington counties Wednesday each had a five-case increase to 390 total cases in Brown, 117 total cases in Codington.
In Brown County there are 27 active cases and 20 people have ever been hospitalized. There have been 3,901 negative tests.
There are 22 active cases in Codington County, where there have been no deaths and eight people ever hospitalized. There have been 2,586 negative tests.
Cases in Minnehaha County increased by 60 to a total of 4,118, and Lincoln County’s cases increased by 24 to a total of 521, according to the health department. Pennington and Lake counties’ cases increased by nine each to 796 cases in Pennington and 78 cases in Lake. Union County had an increase of seven cases for 187 total.
Coronavirus patients are occupying 2% of staffed hospital beds in the state while 49% of hospital beds are available, according to the state health department. Coronavirus patients are occupying 4% of intensive care unit beds, and 36% of ICU beds are available. Five percent of ventilators are being used by coronavirus patients while 82% of the state’s ventilator capacity is available.
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