Three new cases in Brookings County Wednesday

62 new COVID-19 cases in S.D. Wednesday, two new deaths

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BROOKINGS – The state is reporting 62 new positive coronavirus cases and two new deaths in South Dakota Wednesday.

Three of the new cases are in Brookings County.

Brookings County cases have risen to 65 positive tests (three new Wednesday), and 51 of those people have recovered, with 14 active cases. There have been 1,684 negative tests 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 6,826 as of midday Wednesday, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.

Of the 6,826 statewide cases, 800 are classified as active (down by one from Tuesday). As of Wednesday, 5,933 people have recovered (61 new), 674 people have been hospitalized at some point (eight new), 65 people are currently hospitalized (up by three), and 93 people have died.

The new deaths, one woman and one man, are being reported in Buffalo and Minnehaha counties. The age ranges of the deceased are 40-49 years and 70-79 years old.

There have been 74,117 total negative tests (793 new) in South Dakota.

Increases in positive cases Wednesday included, but are not limited to, three in Beadle County, three in Brookings, three in Charles Mix, seven in Codington, three in Hughes, four in Lincoln, three in Lyman, 17 in Minnehaha and five in Pennington.

The counties with the highest total case counts are Minnehaha (3,627), Beadle (527), Pennington (523), Lincoln (347) and Brown (342).

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 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 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.