COVID transmission drops through most of region

Randy Petersen, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

May 27—ROCHESTER — Five Southeast Minnesota counties saw their COVID-transmission status lowered this week.

Dodge, Fillmore and Wabasha counties were downgraded from the federally defined "high" status to "medium," and Goodhue and Houston counties returned to being designated as areas of "low" transmission.

Mower County maintained its "medium" status, leaving Olmsted and Winona counties as the only areas of high community transmission in the region.

Olmsted County's case rate declined by nearly 22.5%, with the most recent seven-day report showing 329.14 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The county also saw 22 new COVID-related hospital admissions in a seven-day period, which was up 19.5% and kept the county in high-transmission status.

Winona County reported a slight increase in COVID cases this week, with a rate of 324.86 confirmed cases in a seven-day period per 100,000 residents. It also reported seven new COVID-related hospitalizations within a week.

Meanwhile, Goodhue County's reported case rate dropped by nearly 16.7% to 215.8 confirmed COVID cases per 100,000 residents. Only two related hospitalizations were reported during the last seven-day period.

Joining Goodhue County as an area of low transmission, Houston County saw a reported 8.8% drop in confirmed cases, with 31 new cases reported during a seven-day period. It's equivalent to 166.67 cases per 100,000 residents.

Other reported case rates were:

* Dodge County, with 176.73 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents and

* Fillmore County with 185.12 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents

* Mower County with 142.28 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents

* Wabasha County with 203.45 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents

Statewide, the number of counties deemed as areas of high community transmission dropped from 19 to seven in a week.

Outside Southeast Minnesota, those counties are Carlton, Faribault, Koochiching, Pine and St. Louis.

Since Olmsted County returned to being an area of high COVID transmission last month, public health officials have encouraged residents to take actions to reduce the rate of spread.

Recommendations include:

* Wearing a mask indoors in public.

* Getting a COVID-19 vaccine and staying up to date with boosters.

* Getting tested if COVID-19 symptoms appear.

* Following the CDC's quarantine and isolation guidance when ill with COVID-19.