South Dakota state senator (R-Rapid City)

UPDATE: Sen. Duhamel hospitalized overnight with COVID-19; receives investigational drug treatment at Monument Health (Rapid City Journal, eleven minutes ago)

Sen. Helene Duhamel was hospitalized at Monument Health on Wednesday night as her oxygen levels dropped, but is preparing to go home after receiving an investigational treatment for COVID-19: an infusion of casirivimab and imdevimab.

Duhamel was in Pierre on Tuesday for Gov. Kristi Noem’s budget address at the state capitol. She wore her mask throughout the day but was pictured maskless in a photo posted to Noem’s campaign Twitter account and attended a dinner at the Governor’s mansion in Pierre on Monday evening with other legislative leaders and select members of Noem’s cabinet.

“I certainly hope I did not unknowingly infect anyone,” Duhamel said Thursday in an email to the Journal.

The Republican senator from Rapid City said she worked for a couple hours Tuesday after returning from Pierre at the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, where she is the spokeswoman. Duhamel said she began to feel tired and then had a headache, so she went home.

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