COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations down slightly in west central Minnesota

Linda Vanderwerf, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·2 min read

Sep. 16—WILLMAR

— West Central Minnesota recorded nearly 400 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death related to the coronavirus, according to the

weekly situation update

released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health.

The 391 new cases reported in the 11 counties tracked by the West Central Tribune is more than 20 cases lower than in last week's report.

The death of one person in Meeker County was reported in west central Minnesota between Sept. 4 to Sept. 10.

Twenty-two people from area counties were hospitalized last week — 13 in Stearns, six in Kandiyohi, two in Meeker and one in Redwood.

The state's report of new cases is an undercount because at-home test results are not included.

Hospitalizations have continued as the coronavirus continues to spread around the state. Since mid-May, the number of people hospitalized has consistently been more than 400 in medical and intensive care units.

In West Central Minnesota, 22 people from area counties were hospitalized last week with COVID-19.

The state's current total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is 13,199, an increase of 46 from last week's report.

New cases reported the week of Sept. 4 to Sept. 10 in the 11 counties tracked by the West Central Tribune:

* Big Stone, 1

* Chippewa, 12

* Kandiyohi, 69

* Lac qui Parle, 10

* Meeker, 29

* Pope, 12

* Redwood, 18

* Renville, 26

* Stearns, 201

* Swift, 9

* Yellow Medicine, 4

The state's cumulative number of cases is now listed at 1,651,999, including reinfections. That's 6,346 more confirmed new cases in the last week.

People who have tested positive for COVID-19 again more than 90 days after an initial lab-confirmed positive test are considered to have a reinfection.

The state reported 352 people hospitalized with COVID-19, as of Sept. 13. That includes 316 people hospitalized in medical units and another 36 in intensive care units.

The state also reports daily vaccine administration numbers. As of Sept. 13, 3,984,902 Minnesotans have received one dose and 3,756,193 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 1,812,460.

In June 2022, the department began providing a weekly update, replacing the daily updates that began in spring 2020.

The updates are released each Thursday at 11 a.m. and include data received as of 4 a.m. the preceding Tuesday. When the report refers to numbers from last week, it refers to information gathered from Sunday through Saturday the week before the information is released.

In all cases, the numbers in the updates are preliminary and may change as more information is received.