WILLMAR — Weekly COVID-19 case totals in west central Minnesota counties continue to remain below 100 and only one area death related to the coronavirus was reported in the past week.
There were 84 cases reported in the 11 counties tracked by the West Central Tribune, according to state situation updates issued this week.
Swift County had zero cases. Stearns County, which has the largest population in the tracked counties, had 48 cases for the week and one death of a person in the 90-94 age range. Kandiyohi and Redwood counties had eight cases each for the week. Other counties had five or fewer.
In the situation update from the Minnesota Department of Health , the state reported six newly reported deaths and 612 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 1,433,225, which includes 1,369,891 total people testing positive and 63,334 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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The state’s current total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is now at 12,440, which includes 30 more deaths than a week ago. Of that total, 5,668 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 29 people with COVID-19 were in ICUs across the state as of Thursday, and 171 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, none of them 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, 25 of them, 37%, said they had zero staffed beds available. Of nearly 130 non-ICU hospitals reporting, 34 hospitals, 26%, said they had zero staffed 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 : 1,382 cases; 8 deaths
- Chippewa County : 3,071 cases; 48 deaths
- Kandiyohi County : 13,405 cases; 138 deaths
- Lac qui Parle County : 1,737 cases; 28 deaths
- Meeker County : 5,924 cases; 75 deaths
- Pope County : 3,030 cases; 17 deaths
- Redwood County : 3,892 cases; 53 deaths
- Renville County : 3,732 cases; 56 deaths
- Stearns County : 50,739 cases; 366 deaths
- Swift County : 2,286 cases; 33 deaths
- Yellow Medicine County : 2,529 cases; 29 deaths
The state also reports daily vaccine administration numbers. As of Friday's report, 3,898,715 Minnesotans have received at least one dose and 3,689,010 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 2,551,375.
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.
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Area school buildings on the list include: MACCRAY Senior High School, Clara City; Roosevelt Elementary School, Willmar; Willmar Middle School; Willmar Senior High School; Lac qui Parle Valley Secondary School, Madison; and Redwood Valley Middle School, Redwood Falls.
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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