Brain Geniuses

Perhaps putting the stupidest people in charge of everything was not our best plan.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday blamed South Dakota’s recent surge in coronavirus cases on an increase in testing, even as the state saw a new high in the number of people hospitalized by the virus.

There are currently no open general-care hospital beds in the southeastern part of the state, which contains the two largest hospitals, according to the Department of Health. Hospitals are dealing with both an increase in COVID-19 patients and people needing other medical care. The hospitals in Sioux Falls do have about 41% of their Intensive Care Units available.

Of course there is some relationship between the number of tests and the number of recorded cases, but not so much (at least now) with hospitalizations.

And with a 20% positivity rate, they aren't testing nearly enough.