COVID-19 case counts finally drop; three area residents die of illness
May 28—MANKATO — It took 10 weeks, but south-central Minnesota's COVID-19 case counts are finally on the decline again.
Nine area counties combined for 297 newly confirmed cases, according to Minnesota Department of Health data, a 14% drop from the previous week. The south-central region also had three confirmed COVID-19 fatalities this week, bringing its May death toll from the illness to six.
Mid-March had been the last time the region saw a weekly case decline. Cases rose from 81 between March 12-18 to a peak of 345 between May 14-20 during this wave.
The previous wave of cases peaked at 3,486 in a week in late January. Current case counts underestimate how much spread there is in communities due to at-home tests not being included. But the levels last week and this week at least give an idea of how much lower peaks can be with the latest variant, booster vaccine doses, antibodies gained via widespread infection and newly available treatments.
Previous peaks threatened to overwhelm hospital intensive care units with COVID-19 patients. Hospitalizations didn't rise to the same levels during this wave.
Last week was more of a mixed bag of indicators. Some signs pointed toward a plateau in cases, others pointed toward a spike.
This week was more of an improvement statewide and in the south-central region, said Derek J. Wingert, a local data analyst who's tracked COVID-19 metrics during the pandemic.
"All of it echoes a picture that there's a bit more evidence to support the idea that we could be plateauing and maybe even starting a process of slow declines," he said. "If we continue that into the summer, that would be just fantastic."
Minnesota's case decline statewide this week was encouraging. Wastewater data, a leading indicator of COVID-19 trends, also trended in the right direction with a leveling off or decline in south-central Minnesota.
The hope is this week is the start of a sustained decline, Wingert said. Current case levels aren't necessarily low; they're just lower in comparison than the record peaks fueled by the omicron variant earlier this year.
The three COVID-19 deaths in the region this week occurred in one Blue Earth County resident and two Faribault County residents. The Blue Earth County resident was between 85-89 years old, while the Faribault County residents were both between 90-94, according to the health department.
South-central Minnesota has had 505 confirmed COVID-19 fatalities since the pandemic began. Minnesota's pandemic death toll is 12,628.
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