Active COVID-19 cases in South Dakota falls below 1,000

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - South Dakota’s active coronavirus case count fell to the lowest point in nearly eight months in the Department of Health’s latest weekly report.

Health officials reported 154 new cases Wednesday. However, active cases fell by nearly 2,000 to 537, the state’s lowest since late July.

The state also three additional COVID-19 deaths. One victim was in their 50s, one in their 70s, and one over age 80. South Dakota’s weekly average of coronavirus deaths per capita is currently one of the lowest in the nation, according to CDC data.

Forty-three people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, compared to 64 last week. This marks the lowest total current hospitalizations in South Dakota since last August.

Wednesday’s report includes case data from the past seven days. The Department of Health shifted from daily reporting to weekly reporting earlier this month due to declining case numbers.

South Dakota’s 7-day test positivity rate is 4.3%, below the pandemic average of 15.2%. However, the state’s test positivity rate is still slightly higher than the national average of 3.9%, according to Johns Hopkins University data.