SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota on Saturday reported 13 deaths of people who contracted COVID-19, along with 666 new coronavirus cases from a two-day reporting period.
The state has seen a steady decline in cases, with the average number of daily cases reported declining by 36% over the last two weeks. The average number of deaths reported has also declined, but a fall surge resulted in the state recording the nation’s fifth-highest rate of COVID-19 deaths per capita, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.
A total of 1,501 South Dakotans have died after contracting COVID-19.
The Department of Health also reported that 15% of the RT-PCR tests reported were positive. A positivity rate that high may indicate that many more people have infections than testing is indicating.
The number of people hospitalized by the virus declined to 282 people statewide.
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This story has been corrected to show that 666 positive tests were reported Saturday, not 615. The Department of Health’s Dashboard previously displayed an incomplete number of tests reported Saturday.
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