On the day (July 23) that the number of positive COVID-19 tests in the United States topped four million, comes word that health officials are detecting a big drop in the average of Americans being diagnosed with the virus.

In the initial days of the spread of Coronavirus in this country, health compromised individuals and the elderly were making up the vast majority of the cases. But recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, participated in a discussion with Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health and he confirmed that the average age of COVID-19 patients in the United States has actually dropped by about 15 years since the middle of June.

According to figures released by BestLife, South Dakota is one of 16 states in the country where the average age of COVID-19 patients is between 20 and 29.

The latest reports from the South Dakota Department of Health, show that of the 8,143 positive tests in the state, 1,708 are in the 20-29 age range, which is just under 21 percent of all cases in the Mount Rushmore State.

STATES WHERE AVERAGE COVID-19 PATIENT IS AGE 20-29 (BestLife)
(Percentage of cases)

  1. Montana – 27%
  2. Wisconsin - 26%
  3. North Dakota – 25.44%
  4. Alaska – 24.11%
  5. Minnesota – 23.53%
  6. West Virginia – 23.47%
  7. Nevada – 21.63%
  8. Oregon – 21%
  9. South Dakota 20.97%
  10. Colorado – 20.19%
  11. Ohio - 20.15%
  12. New Mexico – 19.77%
  13. Kentucky – 18.36%
  14. Illinois – 17.7%
  15. Indiana – 17.5%
  16. Rhode Island – 16%

The other South Dakota numbers:

  • 0-19 age group: 952 positive tests (11.69%)
  • 30-39 age group: 1,666 positive tests (20.45%)
  • 40-49 age group: 1,271 positive tests (15.6%)
  • 50-59 age group: 1,240 positive tests (15.22%)
  • 60-69 age group: 740 positive tests (9.08%)
  • 70-79 age group: 296 positive tests (3.63%)
  • 80+ age group: 270 positive tests (3.31%)

Here are some tips for self-care during the pandemic:

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