More than 500 positive COVID-19 cases reported at South Dakota State Penitentiary

[Commonground]

Oct. 26, 2020


RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - The South Dakota Department of Health and Department of Corrections gave an update to COVID-19 cases in its facilities on Monday.

The South Dakota State Penitentiary reported 541 positive coronavirus cases at its facility Monday. 506 inmates and 35 staff tested positive, while 109 inmates and 42 staff tested negative.

The South Dakota Department of Health started conducting mass-testing events at the state’s prisons and community work centers this summer.

The Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield has the largest coronavirus outbreak with nearly 700 positive cases. According to the update, 674 inmates and 17 staff have been infected with COVID-19.
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In total, 1,555 inmates and 89 staff members at all DOC facilities have tested positive for COVID-19. Only 435 of those cases have recovered.

https://www.kotatv.com/2020/10/26/more-than-500-positive-covid-19-cases-reported-at-south-dakota-state-penitentiary/

[Commonground]

Nearly half of state prisoners test positive for COVID-19
The Associated Press - October 27, 2020

The state Department of Corrections says nearly half of the prisoners at South Dakota facilities have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.


The update was posted Monday after a weekend in which cases of the coronavirus doubled among the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls and the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield.

The report shows that as of Sept. 30 there have been 1,555 positive cases among the state’s 3,347 prisoners, a rate of 46%.

https://kbhbradio.com/Nearly-half-of-state-prisoners-test-positive-for-COVID-19