State DOH encourages COVID-19 booster shots

The state Department of Health is encouraging residents over the age of eighteen to get their COVID-19 booster shots if they have already been vaccinated. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the eligibility of the Pfizer and Moderna booster shots to cover all adults eighteen and older.

State Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon said that this is a welcome development.  She said that they know the vaccines are safe and effective in keeping people from getting severely ill, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19.  She said that people are encouraged to talk to their medical provider to determine what is best for them. 

As of Tuesday, 59-percent of those eligible to receive the vaccine had completed their vaccination series, and 71-percent had received at least one dose.  Just more than 15-percent of those eligible had also received their booster dose of the vaccine.

Locally, in Lake County, there were 49 active COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday.  Statewide, there were close to seven-thousand active cases, and 237 people hospitalized because of the virus.  A total of 2318 South Dakota residents have died with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.