COVID-19 cases in Kandiyohi county rise to 167

By Linda Vanderwerf

May 03, 2020 at 1:51 PM

WILLMAR — Confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Kandiyohi County increased to 167 cases, an increase of 22 cases from Friday to Saturday.

The numbers provided by the Minnesota Department of Health are posted in a daily situation update at 4 p.m. each day.

Cases in Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Renville, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties remain in the low single digits, while Meeker County cases increased from 14 to 15. Stearns County has 589 confirmed cases, an increase of 58 cases overnight.

Kandiyohi County has seen one death related to COVID-19.

Kandiyohi County’s case numbers grew after an outbreak of COVID-19 at Jennie-O Turkey Store was discovered. Jennie-O’s two processing plants in Willmar are temporarily closed for disinfection. The company’s plant in Melrose is also temporarily closed.

Statewide, positive cases total 6,663. That number rose 435 from Friday to Saturday. Of the total, 1,013 are health care workers, 32 more than the day before.

COVID-19 has killed 419 people, 24 more than the day before. Of the total, 338 of them in congregate living settings like nursing homes.

Hospitalized patients totaled 373, with 155 in intensive care. The number of hospitalized patients fell 16 from the previous day, but the number in intensive care increased 20.

By Linda Vanderwerf

In 42 years in the newspaper industry, Linda Vanderwerf has worked at several daily newspapers in Minnesota, including the Mesabi Daily News, now called the Mesabi Tribune in Virginia. Previously, she worked for the Las Cruces Sun-News in New Mexico and the Rapid City Journal in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She has been a reporter at the West Central Tribune for nearly 27 years.

Vanderwerf can be reached at email: lvanderwerf@wctrib.com or phone 320-214-4340

COVID-19 cases in Kandiyohi county rise to 167

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kandiyohi County increased 22 cases, to 167 in the Minnesota Department of Health numbers reported Saturday afternoon. Cases in the other counties in the area remained in the single digits, except Meeker County with 15 cases identified.