PIERRE -- South Dakota has seen its number of active coronavirus cases fall significantly in the weekend updates of state data.
As of Sunday, Dec. 13, the state had 12,747 active cases of COVID-19, a decrease of about 18.4% compared to Friday’s figures, when South Dakota was at more than 15,000 active cases. More than 2,700 cases came off the active ledger in Saturday’s update from the South Dakota Department of Health, followed by another 170-case decrease on Sunday.
It comes as the state’s battle with the deadly disease continues. The deaths of 39 individuals were reported on Sunday, bringing the pandemic’s death toll in South Dakota to 1,259. Nearly one-fourth of the state’s total deaths for 2020 have been reported since the start of December, with 313 deaths reported this month.
South Dakota has reported 91,038 cases, as of Sunday, including 631 new cases on Sunday. New cases on a per-day basis have been slower in the month of December, averaging 813 cases per day this month. In November, South Dakota averaged 1,189 new positive cases per day.
A total of 436 people were reported hospitalized as of Sunday’s figures. More than 77,000 people have now been deemed recovered from COVID-19, including more than 5,000 recoveries announced in the last three days.
