WILLMAR — COVID-19 cases in west central Minnesota continue to inch back up, with 342 cases reported during the past week, up from 200 a week ago.
Of this week's total, 192 were reported in Stearns County and 47 in Kandiyohi County, the most populous of the 11 counties tracked by the West Central Tribune.
One death in the region was reported this week: a person age 55-59 in Big Stone County.
In the situation update from the Minnesota Department of Health , the state reported five newly reported deaths and 1,979 new cases Friday. The report is released five days a week at 11 a.m. and includes cases reported as of 4 a.m. the previous business day.
The state's cumulative number of cases is now 1,452,547, which includes 1,387,069 total people testing positive and 65,478 reinfections. The state reports the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 again more than 90 days after an initial lab-confirmed positive test.
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Case numbers reported in Health Department updates are preliminary and reflect positive test results reported to the state. At-home test results are not included.
The state’s current total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is now at 12,508, which includes 16 more deaths than a week ago. Of that total, 5,715 deaths, 46%, have occurred in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
In a report of its response capacity to the pandemic, the Health Department reported that 22 people with COVID-19 were in ICUs across the state as of Thursday, and 254 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized but not in an ICU.
The state also reports the hospital capacity of adult and pediatric beds. Of the state's eight pediatric ICU units, one reported having zero staffed beds available. Of the 36 with non-ICU pediatric units reporting, 15 hospitals, 42%, said they had zero staffed non-ICU pediatric beds available.
Of 68 adult ICUs reporting, 29 of them, 43%, said they had zero staffed beds available. Of 130 non-ICU hospitals reporting, 33 hospitals, 25%, said they had staffed zero beds.
Since the start of the pandemic, the number of COVID-19 cases among residents confirmed to reside in area counties and the number of deaths includes:
- Big Stone County : 1,406 cases; 9 deaths
- Chippewa County : 3,092 cases; 48 deaths
- Kandiyohi County : 13,483 cases; 139 deaths
- Lac qui Parle County : 1,750 cases; 29 deaths
- Meeker County : 5,964 cases; 75 deaths
- Pope County : 3,051 cases; 17 deaths
- Redwood County : 3,950 cases; 53 deaths
- Renville County : 3,752 cases; 56 deaths
- Stearns County : 51,131 cases; 367 deaths
- Swift County : 2,299 cases; 33 deaths
- Yellow Medicine County : 2,544 cases; 29 deaths
The state is also reports daily vaccine administration numbers. As of Friday's report, 3,907,054 Minnesotans have received at least one dose and 3,700,291 have completed the vaccine series statewide. The number of people listed as being up-to-date with their vaccines, meaning they have had booster shots, is 2,558,105.
According to the figures available Friday, the percentage of individuals age 5 and over who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in area counties includes:
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- Big Stone: 66.4%
- Chippewa: 62.7%
- Kandiyohi: 61.9%
- Lac qui Parle: 65.2%
- Meeker: 54.6%
- Pope: 62.5%
- Redwood: 60.4%
- Renville: 59.8%
- Stearns: 60.9%
- Swift: 62.3%
- Yellow Medicine: 58.5%
The vaccine data web page is updated at 11 a.m. weekdays, but there is a delay between a vaccine being given and when it is reported to the Minnesota Department of Health.
The state releases an updated list of school buildings that have reported five or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in students or staff who were in the building while infectious during a two-week reporting period. There are no area school buildings on the list this week.
School buildings listed may not have ongoing transmission. If they have not reported a new case for 28 days, they are removed from the list. If five or more cases are reported again in the future, they will be placed on the list again.
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