The Latest: Health officials report 36 new cases of COVID-19

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The Latest on the coronavirus outbreak in South Dakota (all times local):

12:50 p.m.

South Dakota health officials reported on Thursday 36 more people have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the state’s total to 165 confirmed cases.

Two people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died; while 57 people have recovered. State epidemiologist Josh Clayton says five more people have been hospitalized. So far, 17 people have required hospital care.

The largest increase in cases came from Minnehaha County, which is the most populous county in South Dakota. Health officials added several counties to the list of places that have community spread, where health officials can’t trace how someone picked up an infection.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia.

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11:45 a.m.

Unemployment claims once again surged in South Dakota last week as 6,645 people made new claims for unemployment benefits, the Department of Labor and Regulation announced on Thursday.

As the global coronavirus pandemic took its toll on the economy, the number of people seeking unemployment in the state multiplied by a factor of almost 35 in just two weeks.

The state’s call center for unemployment has been swamped with calls, adding more staff and phone lines to assist people in filing claims. The number of claims is from the week ending March 28.

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9:30 a.m.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe said it is setting up checkpoints on roads going into tribal land on Thursday to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

The tribe won’t allow people in non-commercial vehicles with out-of-state licenses unless they can prove tribal membership and that they live on the reservation. The tribe also people who are not members from hunting on tribal lands.

The tribe will be monitoring all other traffic on the main roads going into the reservation.

So far, no one living on the reservation has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the latest update from South Dakota health officials.