During a press conference this afternoon (March 10) Governor Kristi Noem confirmed that there are five presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in South Dakota. The five cases are spread out across the state and include five different counties, including Beadle County, Charles Mix County, Davidson County, Minnehaha County and Pennington County. Noem confirmed that one of the people that tested positive has passed away, but she noted that the patient, who was a male age 60-69, had underlying medical conditions. She stated they did not have confirmation that COVID-19 is the cause of death. Other positive cases are two males ages 40-49, one male age 50-59 and one female age 30-39. “The state’s Public Health Laboratory in Pierre has confirmed the first presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in South Dakota,” said Noem. “The cases are travel related. While we wait for the CDC to conduct their confirmatory testing, the Department of Health staff is working to identify additional people who came in close contact with these individuals to decrease the spread of illness.”
Noem stated that the four patients testing positive for COVID-19 are being treated at their respective homes. “Our team has been preparing for weeks, and I am confident we have the right people in place to address this fluid situation. Without panicking, I encourage all South Dakotans to take this seriously – now is the time to prepare and to stay informed,” Governor Noem said. South Dakotans can learn more about COVID-19 by visiting the South Dakota Department of Health website or by calling 1-800-997-2880.