South Dakota reports 15 additional COVID-19 deaths, 936 new cases

Jonathan Ellis, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·1 min read
A sign directs people to a drive-thru COVID-19 test site on Saturday, October 5, 2021, outside the Sanford Sports Complex Acute Care clinic in northern Sioux Falls.

The South Dakota Department of Health reported 15 new COVID-19 fatalities and 936 new infections Wednesday, part of a new surge in cases.

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased to 249, the largest number since January. It's the highest number of deaths reported by the state since early October.

The latest deaths included one person 40-49, five people 50-59, three people 60-69, four people 70-79 and two people 80 or older. Nine were men and six were women.

The newest infections included 162 in Minnehaha County and 45 in Lincoln County. Codington County had 74, while Brown County had 45 and Pennington County, 90.

More: Sioux Falls reverses COVID vaccine mandate for health workers following federal court ruling

The number of active cases increased by 459, erasing a gain on recoveries that was reported Tuesday. There were 7,222 active infections.

Of the 249 people hospitalized, 68 were receiving intensive care and 33 of those were on ventilators.

The Department of Health's COVID-19 vaccination program surpassed its one-millionth dose in Wednesday's report. Including federal vaccines, a total of 1,149,804 doses have been administered to 592,615 South Dakotans.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota reports 15 COVID-19 deaths, 936 infections as cases surge