South Dakota Surpasses 1,000 COVID-19 Deaths

South Dakota, a state with a population of just 884,000, has topped 1,000 COVID-19 deaths. The Argus Leader reports that the state recorded 38 new coronavirus deaths on Thursday, bringing the total to 1,033. There were also 1,145 new infections, out of some 6,000 tests, for an infection rate close to 20 percent. Gov. Kristi Noem, who has rejected all calls for a mask mandate and refused to discourage people from getting together for the holidays, has not publicly commented on the tragic milestone—though she has tweeted in the last day about the death of a libertarian economist. She ordered the flags be flown at half-mast Friday in honor of a state lawmaker who died of COVID, though she did not mention the cause of death in her press release.