SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Covid-19 infection numbers are creeping upward again in South Dakota and that has medical professionals worried.
Yankton Doctor Mike Pietila has been treating Covid patients since the pandemic started last year.
“We’re going to see a second spike. I don’t think it’ll be nearly as severe as the first spike, but it’s on its way,” Pietila said.
Mike Pietila heads the ICU at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton. He says even though many have been vaccinated, there are still plenty who haven’t, and are being hospitalized.
“The group that’s getting COVID now is younger, and hopefully they won’t be as sick as that higher-risk population,” Pietila said. He added advancements in COVID-19 treatment have helped more people get out of the hospital.
103 people are currently in the hospital with COVID-19 in South Dakota as of Sunday, according to the state health department. 46% of South Dakotans 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. All South Dakota adults are eligible to receive COVID vaccines as of last Monday.
(Jerry Oster, WNAX, contributed to this report.)
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