Six new deaths, 149 new COVID-19 cases in S.D. Wednesday, July 29

No new cases in Brookings County Wednesday; total at 111 with six active cases

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BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 149 new positive COVID-19 cases and six new deaths in South Dakota Wednesday.

None of the new cases are in Brookings County. 

Brookings County cases remain at 111 positive tests (no change Wednesday), and 105 of those people have recovered, with six active cases. A total of 2,428 people have tested negative in Brookings County as of Wednesday, and three people in the county have been hospitalized at some point, the state reported. There have been no deaths here.

Brookings County remains in the “substantial” community spread category. Substantial community spread means there are five-plus cases of community-acquired COVID-19 in a county or a distinct group of cases in a single area.

The number of South Dakotans who have tested positive for COVID-19 rose to 8,641 as of midday Wednesday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.

The reporting period for new cases announced Wednesday was six hours longer than normal, from 1 p.m. Monday to 7 p.m. Tuesday, due a delay in the daily data extraction, the Department of Health reported in an email Wednesday. There are also more cases being reported from a camp in Keystone.

“The South Dakota Department of Health is reporting additional cases of COVID-19 among campers and staff who attended Camp Judson in Keystone. According to the most recent data available, 32 campers and staff have tested positive for COVID-19. All of the cases identified are South Dakota residents. The Department continues to investigate positive cases as they are identified and notify close contacts,” the DOH email said.

Of the 8,641 statewide cases, 903 are classified as active (up by by eight from Tuesday). As of Wednesday, 7,609 people have recovered (135 new), 810 people have been hospitalized at some point (two new), 46 people are currently hospitalized (down by three), and 129 people have died.

Officials say 101,073 people (2,074 new) have tested negative in South Dakota.

The new deaths, three women and three men, are being reported in Brown, Lincoln, Lyman, Minnehaha, Roberts and Union counties. The age ranges of the deceased are one 50-59 years old, two 60-69 years old, and three 80-plus years old.

Increases in positive cases Wednesday included, but are not limited to, five in Brown County, three in Clay, five in Codington, nine in Lake, 24 in Lincoln, 60 in Minnehaha, three in Oglala Lakota, nine in Pennington, three in Roberts and seven in Union.

The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (4,118), Pennington (796), Beadle (585), Lincoln (521) and Brown (390).

The state Department of Health generally does not identify the specific communities within a county where cases are located, or a business, event or setting that may be the source of a surge to protect patient confidentiality.

Only a few exceptions are made, such as clusters when there are 40 or more cases identified in a single workplace/setting. The DOH will also issue a public health notice when an employee or patron of a business/event is unable to identify persons they were in close contact with (15 or more minutes within 6 feet or less) while able to transmit the virus.

No public health notices regarding specific businesses or events have been issued in Brookings County so far.

The actual number of infections in the state is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.

The figures released by the state Department of Health do not include individuals who are asymptomatic or have symptoms of the coronavirus but are not being tested.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Learn more at www.covid.sd.gov.