South Dakota’s Republican Governor Kristi Noem is one of the only governors that has not issued a stay-at-home order to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Now, coronavirus cases in the state have surged and a meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls with a large immigrant workforce has become the largest coronavirus hotspot in the country.

As a response to the outbreak, Noem announced she is launching a statewide clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that President Trump has repeatedly promoted during his daily press events.

“For the past week, I have been in direct contact with the White House, with President Trump’s team, spoken with Vice President Pence, Jared Kushner, the chief of staff, many within the task force on making sure that they knew what we wanted to do here in South Dakota,” Noem said at a press conference on Monday. “This would be the first-ever state-endorsed, state-backed, statewide clinical trial available in the United States to help take care of our people here.”

South Dakota’s trial will have two components: all coronavirus patients in the state—44% of whom are from the meatpacking plant’s immigrant workforce—will have the option to take hydroxychloroquine, and a randomized placebo-controlled trial will be conducted for people who have been exposed to the virus.

While there is anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine can be helpful, there is also reason to be cautious with the drug. In Brazil, a trial of a related drug, chloroquine, was recently halted after coronavirus patients developed potentially fatal heart arrhythmias. And in the U.S., while a number of federal agencies are currently facilitating clinical trials, coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned that very high doses of the drug are used for coronavirus patients and the toxicities are not yet known.

South Dakota Secretary of State Steve Barnett announced his office will mail absentee ballot applications to all South Dakotans registered in the statewide voter registration file, with
the exception of voters that have already applied for the 2020 election cycle or voters in counties sending applications on their own .

Absentee ballot applications are set to be mailed between April 17-24. Voters are encouraged to complete their application as soon as possible to allow for delivery and processing times. Once an
application is verified by the county auditor, a ballot will be mailed to the voter.

“Corona Nights” , a cruise event, will take place this Saturday, April 18th at 5:30 p.m. on Main Street in Colome, South Dakota.

The town will line up on the north side of the elementary building on 1st street and plan to start the cruise at 5:30 PM. The cruise will be led by the Colome Volunteer Fire Department and Mayor Hill.  For those that don’t want to get out, they will be going up and down all the streets in Colome for people to enjoy from home!  Local businesses will have carryout food available and social distancing practices will be followed. 

The Platte Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Cruise Night Event this Friday, April 17th where the community is encouraged to get out and drag on Main Street.  Participants can stop and fill up at one of the local gas stations, grab some snacks or take out food from local eateries or the Lyric Theater while cruising Main Street.

Central South Dakota had another good day, as far as the latest numbers indicate with relation to Covid-19. The counties of Lyman, Todd, Jones, Mellette, Brule, Charles Mix, Gregory and Tripp Counties report zero new cases of Covid 19. Brule County has one case total, without a recovery. Charles Mix County reports four cases, with one recovery. Lyman has reported two cases total, and both have recovered. Todd County has reported one case total, and that individual has recovered. Gregory County has zero reported cases total, and Tripp County also has not reported a case. The Governor’s Office feels the peak in South Dakota is nearer than they originally thought.