Active COVID-19 cases surpass 300 in Lincoln County

Lincoln County surpassed 300 active cases of Coronavirus this week, hitting 316 on Wednesday.

In Lincoln County the total number of cases is at 1,648 positives with 1,328 recovered. Four people have died in Lincoln County due to COVID-19.

The County continues to be defined as having substantial community spread according to the SD DOH.

Statewide as of Oct. 7 South Dakota has 4,511 active COVID-19 cases out of a total of 25,906 cases. This is an increase of 853 active cases from last week, and an additional 3,517 cases overall. There are 273 people currently hospitalized, which is an increase of 61 people in the hospital because of COVID-19 since last week. Total recoveries in the state are at 21,137.

COVID-19 has attributed to the deaths of 258 state residents as of Oct. 7, 2020. This is an increase of 35 from last Wednesday.

Last week, the South Dakota Department of Health announced they will be holding only one press briefing a week, on Wednesdays.

October 7 the SD DOH rolled out a new format on their website which now tracks testing data recorded from antigen tests. The positive tests found using the antigen tests are listed on the website as “probable cases” — this is a term used by the Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC).

SD Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said the distinction between “probable” and “confirmed” cases is nill. The data on the website for new case totals includes both kind of testing results. All positive cases, whether classified as probable or confirmed should still self isolate and identify close contacts, she said.

She added that the Department of Health hopes people notify close contacts themselves as soon as they receive a probable or positive test result.

The SD DOH also noted that they expect to see volume increase around antigen testing, as that is what the federal government is supplying to long term care facilities and states for K-12 schools.

New numbers for COVID-19 cases among the state’s K-12 schools released Oct. 5 are as follows: From Sept. 27-Oct. 3 — 328 cases have been added at the K-12 level, bringing the total to 1,784 since Aug. 9. This number includes 1,262 students and 522 staff members.

Within South Dakota Colleges there were an additional 81 cases added Sept. 27-Oct. 3, bringing that total to 1,448 cases since Aug. 9. This number includes 1,370 students and 78 staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Tea Area School District COVID19 Mitigation Response Level remains as “Yellow” in all buildings as of Sept. 30, 2020. See updated color key below for TASD.

On Monday, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul Ten Hanken held a press briefing, he announced that the City of Sioux Falls employees are required to wear masks, and suggested that area businesses consider the same. Avera and Sanford representatives spoke to the higher numbers being admitted to the hospital. All reiterated tips to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus, such as washing your hands, wearing a mask, social distancing, and staying home when sick.

The U.S. reports 7,525,255 positive COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 has attributed to the deaths of 211,405 U.S. residents of as of Oct. 7, 2020, according to John Hopkins University and Medicine.

For more from the SD DOH visit https://covid.sd.gov.