by Carrie Moritz, Garretson Gazette
COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state, with South Dakota continuing to see record active cases. As of Tuesday, the state had 18,624 active cases, with 4,622 in Minnehaha County. Hospitalizations have continued to be between 550-600 statewide, with both Sanford and Avera implementing surge plans. Last week was one of the deadliest in South Dakota’s COVID pandemic history, with 104 deaths recorded between Wednesday, November 11 and Sunday, November 15. This brought the monthly total to 219 deaths, more than were recorded in all of October.
Due to this, on Tuesday the South Dakota Medical Association sent a request to Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken for a mask mandate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s largest city. This was the first time a mandate had been requested by the Medical Association, according to Mayor TenHaken.
Due to this request, the Sioux Falls City Council was slated to vote again Tuesday on a citywide mask mandate, and it looked likely to pass. The measure had failed on Mayor TenHaken’s tie-breaking vote the week prior.
Mayor TenHaken stated at a press conference on Tuesday that he had a phone conference scheduled with other mayors in the Sioux Falls area to help ensure all local municipalities were on the same page with regards to mitigating strategies.
The strain the surge has placed on local healthcare systems has been tremendous, with Avera’s Dr. David Basel stating on Tuesday that Avera hospitals were running at or over capacity. According to Dr. Basel, in all of the Avera system, only 11 ICU beds were available on Monday, and 160 patients were at home with supplemental oxygen in order to free up beds for those who were more critical.
On Monday, Sanford Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Wendell Hoffman sent a plea to Governor Kristi Noem to change course on how the state was handling the disease.
“I get that you don’t want strict lockdowns, neither do I,” he said. “Those are devastating, too. But we can’t just let this virus run without throwing everything we have at it.”
Last week, Governor Noem was photographed several times at the University of South Dakota DakotaDome without a mask, despite a mandatory mask requirement by both USD and the South Dakota State High School Activities Association during the state football games.
“And that means, Governor, that you need to be out in front of the people, and you need to encourage all of the mitigating strategies that even have the potential, including masks, which I know you have sort of said, the results were mixed,” said Dr. Hoffman. “I’m sorry, Governor, but all of medicine is mixed results. That’s what we do every day. We have to take a different course.
“Right now, we do not have a curve, we have a straight up line,” Dr. Hoffman continued. “We have no end in sight at this point.” He requested help for the people who are suffering.
On Tuesday, Dr. Allison Suttle, Chief Medical Officer at Sanford, spoke about “bending the curve.” This is getting back to some of the behaviors that decrease the number of cases, including restricting shopping and eating out, restricting activities such as sleepovers, or gathering in groups. Many of these endeavors have been relaxed over the past few months.
“It all still boils down to personal behavior and personal responsibility,” Dr. Suttle said. She spoke about the upcoming holidays, requesting all people think about how they can reduce gatherings in order to keep case numbers down.
“Large groups of people getting together, for long periods of time in indoor spaces, is a great way to spread the virus,” she said.
“This virus spreads without any symptoms,” Dr. Suttle continued. “So, although [the] majority of people won’t have severe illness, the more we spread the virus, the more likely we are to reach those individuals that are vulnerable, and that may become very ill.”
During the weekend, South Dakota ER nurse Jodi Doering went viral after posting about those who still refused to acknowledge COVID-19 was real.
“I can’t help but think of the Covid (sic) patients the last few days,” Doering wrote on Twitter. “The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real. The ones who scream at you for a magic medicine and that Joe Biden is going to ruin the USA. All while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm. They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that “stuff” because they don’t have COViD (sic) because it’s not real.” She noted in a later interview that she’s had patients who’d rather believe they had lung cancer.
“These people really think this isn’t going to happen to them. And then they stop yelling at you when they get intubated. It’s like a [expletive] horror movie that never ends. There’s no credits that roll. You just go back and do it all over again,” Doering wrote.
Burnout among healthcare workers is a real threat, as they treat so many patients, work double and triple shifts in areas they aren’t used to, and see people in their community who are not implementing any mitigating strategies.
And while there is hope on the horizon for a vaccine and an IV treatment that can be given prior to the need for hospitalization, prevention is still the most effective way to protect oneself and others.
“So, we all need to consider what our Thanksgiving and Christmas plans will look like this year,” said Dr. Suttle. “This is the one year to say, ‘We’re not going to get together in a big group.’ I would urge all of us to consider just getting together with those immediate family members. Get creative.
“Really seriously consider, this is the one year you can always go back and talk about, the one year we had a Zoom Thanksgiving. The one year where we couldn’t get together and how did we do it.”
