South Dakota Department of Health website now includes more data about COVID-19 deaths

The South Dakota Department of Health has made more updates to the information available on its covid.sd.gov website.

State epidemiologist Dr. Josh Clayton says after you click on the “Case Updates” option, you’ll see a “Deaths” tab. He says one data point lists the number of deaths among people with COVID-19.

Clayton says another data point represents the number of deaths caused by COVID-19.

Also under the “Deaths” tab is the number of Cases Among Long Term Care Residents and the Deaths Among Long Term Care Residents with COVID-19.

The covid.sd.gov website also now includes a bar chart showing the Deaths Among People with COVID-19 by Date of Death.

The information below is provided by the South Dakota Department of Health on the covid.sd.gov website.

Deaths among people with COVID-19: The epidemiological death data reflects people who died with COVID-19, but COVID-19 may not have been the cause of death listed on the death certificate. It comes from two sources:

1. State reviewed death certificates from state reviewed death certificates where COVID-19 is listed as the cause of death and from state reviewed death certificates where COVID-19 is listed as a significant condition contributing to death.
2. National case reporting. From healthcare providers and laboratories that report cases to the state using a national surveillance case definition. This includes deaths within 20 days of infection that do not have COVID-19 listed on the death certificate.

Deaths caused by COVID-19: The vital records death data is based on SD DOH coding of death certificates. It reflects the number of deaths due to COVID-19 based on the expert judgment of health care providers and coroners. The number comes from death certificates where COVID-19 is listed as the cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. The number is determined by the SD DOH and is update weekly on Monday.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 and deaths among people with COVID-19 are reported from two different systems that are updated on different timelines. These numbers cannot be compared day-to-day to determine how many deaths have occurred in each category.