COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota

The COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The state of South Dakota reported its first four cases and one death from COVID-19 on March 10, 2020. On June 15, 2021, South Dakota public health authorities reported 25 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's cumulative total to 124,377 cases.^[1] The state's COVID-19 death toll is 2,026, with no new deaths reported over the previous 24 hours.^[1] The state ranks 9th in deaths per capita among U.S. states (with New York City counted separately), and 3rd in cases per-capita, behind only North Dakota and Rhode Island (14,042 cases per 100,000).^[2]

The state did not utilize mitigation strategies such as stay-at-home orders or mandating face masks in public spaces, with Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem citing a desire to respect residents' personal freedoms and responsibilities, and disputing studies demonstrating their efficacy. In October 2020, amid record cases and hospitalizations in the state, Noem told her Legislature that she had received praise from a "prominent national reporter" for not imposing a lockdown. The absence of state-wide action has faced criticism from local officials, and prompted health orders to be issued at the municipal level instead of statewide.

The first major outbreak in the state was centered upon at Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls in April 2020, causing Minnehaha County to have over 3,000 confirmed cases alone by May 11. In August 2020, a major spike in cases was induced by several superspreader events, including the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (which has officially been tied to at least 290 cases in South Dakota and other states), concerts, and other forms of community transmission. The state peaked in new cases by mid-November 2020; by December, the average rate of new cases in South Dakota had begun to decline. But as of June 2021 South Dakota still has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 hospitalization and death among all U.S. states.^[3]

As of June 15, 2021, South Dakota has administered 674,054 COVID-19 vaccine doses, providing 55.92% of the state's population with at least one dose of vaccine.^[1]