Omicron has spread quickly throughout the USA: 13% of the COVID cases on 12/11/21 were estimated to be the Omicron variant (purple), whereas 73% of the cases on 12/18/21 were estimated to be Omicron (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions).
Update as of 12/22/21 at 1:50 pm. The SDDOH has reported a case of Omicron in South Dakota (Minnehaha County).
Random samples are tested from each region to come up with these estimates. As seen below, the percentage of Omicron in our region #8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) is less than most other regions (less purple [Omicron variant] and more orange [Delta variant] but more than Region #7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska).
Brookings County (highest level of spread)
- 5,658 total cases: 95 new cases this week vs. 49 in the previous week. Of the new cases:
- 22% were under 20 years of age (vs. 53% last week)
- 41% were 20-39 years (vs. 20% last week)
- 26% were 40-59 years (vs. 24% last week)
- 11% were 60 years or older (vs. 2% last week)
- Since November 24th, the largest percentage increase in cases has been in the 0-9 year age group (18% increase, n=51). However, the largest increase in cases has been in the 20-29 year age group (n=71), closely followed by the 30-39 year age group (n=69).
- 249 active cases (217 last week)
- Test positivity (PCR) this past week was 10.4% compared to 9.3% last week. You want this below 5%, and the lower, the better.
- 173 Brookings County residents have been hospitalized with COVID: there were 4 new hospitalizations posted this past week compared to 2 in the previous week.
- 41 Brookings County residents have died of COVID: no deaths were reported this past week compared to no deaths in the previous week.
- 55% of Brookings County and South Dakota residents have received at least one vaccine (no change from last week).
South Dakota (highest level of spread)
- NOTE: It does not look like the state updated the school data this week (at least at the time I made this report).
- 175,249 cases: 2,505 new cases this week vs. 2,328 in the previous week. Of the new cases this past week:
- 22% were under 20 years of age (vs. 19% last week)
- 34% were 20-39 years (vs. 34% last week)
- 26% were 40-59 years (vs. 27% last week)
- 18% were 60 years or older (vs. 20% last week)
- 7,102 active cases (7,065 last week)
- Test positivity (PCR) this past week was 13.1% compared to 13.5% the previous week. You want this below 5%, and the lower, the better.
- 8,950 South Dakota residents have been admitted to in-state hospitals with COVID: 149 people were admitted to in-state hospitals this week vs. 173 last week. Of those admitted this past week:
- 4% were less than 20 years of age (vs. 4% last week)
- 7% were 20-39 years (vs. 15% last week)
- 28% were 40-59 years (vs. 30% last week)
- 60% were 60 years of age and older (vs. 51% last week)
- 239 people currently hospitalized vs. 271 hospitalized last Wednesday (72 currently in the ICU vs. 83 last week)
- 2,450 South Dakotans have died from COVID: 31 deaths were reported this week vs. 35 in the previous week. Of those who died this past week:
- 1 was 20-39 years of age
- 5 were 40-59 years of age
- 25 were 60 years of age & older
USA
- 52.25 million cases: 1,117,406 new cases this week vs. 866,306 in the previous week
- 830,990 total deaths: 9,665 deaths this week vs. 9,130 in the previous week
Worldwide
- 276.7 million cases: 5.03 million cases this week vs. 4.34 million in the previous week
- 5.38 million deaths: 51,865 deaths this week vs. 50,400 in the previous week
Be cautious over the holidays.
Bonny's Blog 