The attached interview above is from SDPB's daily public-affairs show, In the Moment.
The state Health Department says nearly 400 people are still hospitalized in the state with COVID-19, and 13 more South Dakotans have died.
However, the number of South Dakotans infected with the disease continues to decline.
The state Health Department says there are just over 32,000 active cases. That’s the fifth day of falling numbers after almost a month of record-breaking increases.
Doctor Chad Thury practices family medicine with Avera Health. He says the data reflect what he’s seeing firsthand.
“It’s hard to gauge day-to-day, but when you look at it over the last week it looks like it is potentially coming down. More people are testing at home, so it’s hard to account for those positive tests—but within our clinics and stuff, we’re seeing less patients requesting tests and even calling in with respiratory complaints. So, optimistic at this time that we’re heading on the downward trend.”
The portion of eligible South Dakotans fully vaccinated against the disease remains at 57 percent. That number has changed little during the wave of infections caused by the omicron variant of the virus.
Information on free vaccines is available at vaccines.gov.
Data update