SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota on Saturday reported 16 deaths from COVID-19, along with 417 new cases, from a two-day span that included the Christmas holiday.
The state has seen a sustained drop in new cases in recent weeks, with the average number of cases reported each day decreasing by 47% in the last two weeks. The Department of Health has reported an average of 396 new cases each day over the last week.
The state has also seen the number of people hospitalized by the virus to 289 statewide. But high numbers of deaths have continued through December because death reports have lagged behind the spike in November. A total of 1,446 people have died after contracting COVID-19, causing it to record the nation's sixth-highest rate of death per capita in the country.
The state continued to make progress in vaccination medical workers, with 12,910 people receiving their first dose of either the Pfizer of Moderan vaccine.
