Rural Midwest hospitals struggling to handle virus surge
Dr. Tom Dean poses at his clinic in Wessington Springs, S.D., on Friday. Oct. 16, 2020. Dean is one of three doctors in the county, which has seen one of the nation's highest rates of coronavirus cases per person. He writes a column in the local newspaper, the True Dakotan, urging people to take precautions against the virus. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves)
Rural Midwest hospitals struggling to handle virus surge
โ Rural Jerauld County in South Dakota didn't see a single case of the coronavirus for more than two months stretching from June to August. As the brunt of the virus has blown into the Upper Midwest and northern Plains, the severity of outbreaks in rural communities has come into focus. In recent weeks, he's watched as one in roughly every 37 people in his county has tested positive for the virus. As cases surge, hospitals in rural communities are having trouble finding beds. โIt's very, very challenging when your resources are poor โ living in a small, rural county,โ she said.