South Dakota COVID-19 Cases at 1,685
The South Dakota Department of Health reports 49 newly identified COVID-19 cases. That brings the statewide total to 1,685.
42 of the new cases are in Minnehaha County, 23 of them are employees of the Smithfield meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls.
Other counties with smaller increases include Lincoln, Pennington and Union counties.
JBS Packing Plant in Worthington Closes due to COVID-19
Another Midwestern meat packing plant will close indefinitely because of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The JBS plant in Worthington Minnesota will wind down operations over the next two days. It’s about sixty miles east of Sioux Falls.
The plant employs more than 2,000 people and processes 20,000 hogs a day.
Minnesota health officials report 76 positive COVID-19 cases in Nobles County. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken says people who need hospital care will likely end up in Sioux Falls.
“If there’s another hotspot, if there’s another Smithfield at JBS in Worthington and it gets to those levels, that will really start to drive the numbers and the hospitalizations that we see,” TenHaken says.
Two other plants have already shut down temporarily because of COVID-19 outbreaks. The Smithfield Foods pork plant in Sioux Falls and a Tyson plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa.
Sanford Begins Using Plasma Treatment
Sanford Health says for the first time, it is treating a critically ill COVID-19 patient with blood plasma from a recovered patient. Sanford is part of a national clinical trial to test the effect of blood plasma to treat the disease.
The Mayo Clinic is working with Sanford officials to administer the experimental plasma therapy. There are multiple Sanford sites involved.
The use of plasma is for hospitalized patients with severe cases of COVID-19. It may lessen severity or shorten the length of the coronavirus illness.
TenHaken Creates Mayor's Fitness Challenge
Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken invites residents to join in a fitness challenge. He urges participants to run or walk 100 miles in the next 100 days. The mayor says it’s important to stay physically active during the pandemic.
Mayor TenHaken says being outdoors is safe as long as people follow the CDC’s social distancing guidelines.
“Positivity is not banned, ok? Fitness is not banned. Walking is not banned. Running is not banned. Those are things we can continue to do in our city.”
The challenge begins today and runs through the end of July. South Dakota is expected to reach its peak coronavirus hospitalization rate in mid-June. Sioux Falls will likely see its peak in mid-May.
South Dakota Democrats Call on Noem to Dip in Reserve Funds
South Dakota Democrats are calling on Republican Governor Kristi Noem to expand Medicaid and dip into the state’s budget reserves to aid in post-COVID-19 recovery. State unemployment is skyrocketing and Noem says very few dollars are flowing into the state.
State Democrats want Governor Noem to issue shelter-in-place orders for all in the Sioux Falls area and offer strict guidelines to businesses considered essential. Noem has declined to issue a stay-at-home order for Minnehaha County. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken is abandoning his push for one.
Democrats also want Noem to consider an executive order to expand Medicaid in the state—extending healthcare for the estimated 55-thousand working poor in the state prior to COVID 19. South Dakota is one of 14 states that have not expanded Medicaid.
Pamela Cole is the executive director of South Dakota Democrats. She says to prepare for the next stage of recovery, people need good healthcare.
“They have to have that preventative healthcare so they stay well and are productive,” Cole says. “It’s more about people being productive than anything. That translates into a stronger and better economy.”
Cole also says the governor should used budget reserves to expand mental health services, educate and re-train workers, as well as create new sustainably-based jobs.
The state budget reserve is around $170 milion.
Governor Kristi Noem’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
National Guard Helping with Preparations
The South Dakota National Guard has locations in Rapid City and Sioux Falls to assist east and west river healthcare systems with COVID-19 cases.
The alternate care facility in Sioux Falls is at the Regional Training Institute. The site will support up to 100 medical beds.
Rapid City’s location is at the state National Guard’s headquarters at Camp Rapid. 100 to 200 beds are available at the site. Guard members are working with Monument Health to provide medical care at that facility.