In The Moment ... March 24, 2020 Show 780 Hour 1
Yesterday, Governor Kristi Noem said data indicates approximately thirty percent of South Dakotans could become infected with the coronavirus. Eighty percent of those people will have mild symptoms. The state's cases are expected to peak in late May or June.
As reports swirl about what those numbers mean in real life and how they intersect with a local hospital's ability to surge capacity, South Dakotans are left wondering: How bad will this get? And where? And when? If many state residents who request tests are not being tested, does the data tell us anything at all about what's ahead?
Elizabeth Racz is an epidemiologist and public health expert at South Dakota Mines & Technology. She joins us now for a look at the numbers.