Coronavirus

In The Moment … September 2, 2020 Show 894 Hour 1

COVID-19 is filling the news. There's COVID-19 in our schools and on our campuses. COVID-19 cases are popping up at a rate more rapid than our recoveries. And, COVID-19 continues to play out in the political arena. It's a good time to gather our Dakota Political Junkies. 

Many say that the safe and effective reopening of schools in South Dakota is critical, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We've has spent the last month trying to understand what back to school in 2020 means. You'll hear from healthcare professionals, parents, educators and more in this In the Moment podcast.

In The Moment … August 24, 2020 Show 887 Hour 1

Each week we welcome local medical experts to bring us the latest on the coronavirus pandemic in South Dakota. Today, we're talking back to school...how South Dakota's COVID-19 transmission rate compares to the rest of the nation...and how much is too much information? 

Health reporting on SDPB is supported by Monument Health

In The Moment … August 7, 2020 Show 876 Hour 1

The Coronavirus pandemic has left Native American reservations including the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota with a shortage of medical, food, and household supplies. The Thunder Valley CDC is using an online fundraising platform to meet the need. Tatewin Means is the organization's executive director and joins us now.

The South Dakota bank that issued stimulus debit cards on behalf of the federal government says about one-third of the money remains unspent. 

MetaBank, headquartered in Sioux Falls, issued 3.6 million cards loaded with a total of $6.42 billion beginning in mid-May. 

In The Moment … July 30, 2020 Show 870 Hour 1

Since April, Sioux Falls School District officials have been planning for faculty and students to return to the classroom. Plans include a virtual academy for those that are not comfortable returning just yet. Several precautions are to be implemented. Jane Stavem is the superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District and she joins us today with more.

Support for education reporting on SDPB is provided by the South Dakota Department of Education

In The Moment … July 6, 2020 Show 852 Hour 1

For the past 15 weeks or so we have been immersed in a pandemic and each day that goes by we seem to learn something new about Covid-19. Nationally it looks like the numbers are on the rise and depending on who you ask, perhaps locally too. On Monday's we bring local medical professionals on to help us better understand what this is and what's changing. Today we welcome back Dr. Shankar Kurra, he is vice president of Medical Affairs at Monument Health.

In The Moment ... June 30, 2020 Show 849 Hour 1

The Faith Temple Food Giveaway in Sioux Falls is seeing a sharp increase in the number of people who are in need of food. They recently announced their Coronavirus Hunger Initiative.

Jeff Hayes, Director of the Faith Temple Food Giveaway, shares details of this popular service which helps to fill the needs of people in the Sioux Falls area.

In The Moment … June 29, 2020 Show 848 Hour 1

South Dakota has recorded our first case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in a child. Research scientists are learning more about the tentacles of Sars-CoV-2, and cities across the nation are grappling with opening up, surges in cases, and locking back down.  It's time for our weekly check-in on what we know about COVID-19 here in South Dakota. Joining us this week is Dr. Jason Knutson, a Family Medicine Physician with Avera. Health reporting on SDPB is supported by Monument Health of Rapid City 

The first case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome is confirmed in a South Dakota COVID-19 patient. The syndrome appears to impact children with coronavirus.

State Department of Health officials say the case is in a child under the age of 18 in eastern South Dakota. They would not release the specific county of residence, citing confidentiality concerns.

State epidemiologist Josh Clayton says the inflammatory syndrome impacts multiple organ systems.  

In The Moment … June 22, 2020 Show 843 Hour 1

Three months into this pandemic, our medical professionals are learning more and more every day. Each week, we have invited various doctors onto the show to fill us in on the latest. Today we welcome Dr. Wendell Hoffman back.

Health reporting on SDPB is supported by Monument Health of Rapid City

When a family member is diagnosed with COVID-19, what do you do? SDPBs Lura Roti finds out by visiting with a Sioux Falls mother who recently cared for her college-age daughter.

What do you do when your 20-year-old daughter calls crying to let you know she tested positive for COVID-19? If you’re Pam Cole, you pack up your home office and drive to Vermillion.

In this weeks podcast we get a COVID-19 update, hear about the issues with having a newborn during the pandemic, and a couple Political Junkies breakdown the top headlines from the week.

In The Moment … June 16, 2020 Show 839 Hour 2

As with everything these days, it seems we have to find ways of doing things more safely. Traveling this summer is no exception and if you should choose to do so, there are steps you can take to make that journey safer. Dr. Leah Prestbo is an internal medicine physician with Avera and she joins us to discuss those steps.

In The Moment … June 16, 2020 Show 839 Hour 1

In The Moment … June 15, 2020 Show 838 Hour 2

Each week we have asked various medical professionals to join us to provide the most current information available regarding COVID-19. Each of these segments has been informative as these said professionals learn new stuff every day. Joining us today is Dr. Shankaar Kurra, he's the vice president of medical affairs at Monument Health.

City leaders in Sturgis are considering a compromise plan for this year’s annual motorcycle rally. 

Some residents say canceling the rally would devastate the local economy. Others say allowing the rally would expose residents to an outbreak of COVID-19. 

In The Moment … June 8, 2020 Show 833 Hour 1

Each week we turn to local healthcare leaders to discuss the latest information about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Today we hear from Dr. David Bazzle. He's the Vice President for Clinical Quality with Avera Medical Group. he's also a pediatrician and internal medicine physician. 

Health reporting on SDPB is supported by Monument Health of Rapid City

In The Moment … May 27, 2020 Show 825 Hour 1

The spread of Sars-CoV-2 has caused shortages of some medications, which has many wondering about the supply chain for pharmaceuticals. Tom Johnson, Pharm.D., is assistant vice president of hospital pharmacy for Avera Health. He joins us with an update on those shortages and on the availability of medications like Remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine. Those two medications are being studied for their potential to ease the symptoms of the most severe COVID-19 cases. 

In The Moment … May 21, 2020 Show 822 Hour 1

In The Moment … May 19, 2020 Show 820 Hour 2

The South Dakota Department of Health is organizing mass COVID-19 testing of all nursing home and assisted-living residents and employees. Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon says that’s the first of several vulnerable populations the state is targeting over the next several weeks. 

Malsam-Rysdon says the mass testing will start next week with nursing homes and attached assisted living facilities in communities with significant spread of COVID-19. She admits it’s a tall order.

The state public health lab is organizing mass COVID-19 testing in nursing homes over the next month—starting in communities with substantial spread of the virus.

Long-term care facilities in the state face two overwhelming challenges. Their residents are some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. In fact, more than half of the state’s COVID fatalities are older patients.   The pandemic is also exacerbating existing financial challenges.      

Nursing homes in the state have had to turn away visitors for more than two months as a precaution against spreading coronavirus. It’s an emotional strain on residents, but staff are finding creative ways to keep spirits up during the pandemic.

One home in Selby is using music and social media to encourage residents and their families.

In The Moment … May 11, 2020 Show 814 Hour 2

The state’s largest city joins others loosening pandemic-related business restrictions. Beginning Friday, Sioux Falls will replace a 10-customer limit with new guidelines. 

The new ordinance allows theaters and other entertainment venues to admit 50% of their legal occupancy inside at a time. Smaller audiences are designed to allow space for social distancing. Bars and restaurants can open at full capacity, but with limitations. No more than six adults in each group, and each group must be six feet apart.

In The Moment … May 7, 2020 Show 812 Hour 1

In The Moment … May 6, 2020 Show 811 Hour 2

Older adults are at high risk of serious complications from COVID-19, so many are staying at home during the pandemic. But staying at home doesn't need to mean stagnating.  Thea Miller Ryan, director of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at USD, joins us for a look at lifelong learning during complicated times. 

All the money has been loaned out from a state fund that was created to help businesses get through the pandemic, and Gov. Kristi Noem said the state probably can’t replenish the fund. 

In The Moment … May 5, 2020 Show 810 Hour 2

The Coronavirus has brought lots of changes for nonprofits in the region. Some organizations are seeing an increased need for their services, while others are temporarily closing their doors. Many nonprofits have had to delay or modify major fundraising events in order to maintain the safety of volunteers and participants. SDPB's Jackelyn Severin has more on how nonprofits are adapting.