Stearns, Benton counties still ranked "medium" for COVID community risk

Becca Most, St. Cloud Times
·2 min read

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Stearns County and Benton County were classified as having "medium" levels of COVID-19 in the community, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Thursday. Sherburne County was classified as having a "low" community risk.

"Medium" and "high" community levels of COVID means those counties see more than 200 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people in the past seven days.

A COVID-19 vaccine dose sits on the counter Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at CentraCare Plaza Pediatrics.
A COVID-19 vaccine dose sits on the counter Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at CentraCare Plaza Pediatrics.

Stearns County's case rate is 233.42 per 100,000 people, down from 247.01 per 100,000 people last week. Benton County's case rate is 249.46 per 100,000 people, up slightly from 247.01 per 100,000 people last week. Sherburne County's case rate is 142.95 per 100,000 people, down from 154.26 per 100,000 people last week.

More:Biden administration declares monkeypox a public health emergency

For communities with a medium COVID-19 community level, the CDC recommends people with COVID symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 wear a mask. The CDC recommends you stay up to date on your vaccines, get tested if you have symptoms and wear a mask on public transportation.

Individuals at high risk for severe illness should talk to their healthcare provider about whether they need to wear a mask or take other measures.

Test positivity and number of new cases rises

As of Thursday Stearns County reported 376 total cases, Benton County reported 102 cases and Sherburne County reported 139 cases. Last week Stearns County had 344 total cases, Benton County had 101 total cases and Sherburne County had 150 cases.

  • Stearns County's seven-day test positivity rate as of Tuesday was 17.54%, up from 15.59% last week.

  • Benton County's seven-day test positivity rate as of Tuesday was 30.3%, up from 22.95% last week.

  • Sherburne County's seven-day test positivity rate as of Tuesday was 11.14%, up from 9.2% last week.

RN Shelly Hemmesch prepares a dose of Modern COVID-19 vaccine before the start of a CentraCare mobile strike team clinic Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, at the Salvation Army center in St. Cloud.
RN Shelly Hemmesch prepares a dose of Modern COVID-19 vaccine before the start of a CentraCare mobile strike team clinic Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, at the Salvation Army center in St. Cloud.

Vaccination rates

  • Stearns County: 59.9% of the total population has been fully vaccinated.

  • Benton County: 44.5% of the total population has been fully vaccinated.

  • Sherburne County: 46.9% of the total population has been fully vaccinated.

Photos:Thursday afternoon at the Benton County Fair

Globally, more than 12 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. More than 6.4 million people have died from COVID complications and more than 583 million cases have been reported globally.

In the United States, more than 600,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered. More than 1 million people have died and more than 92 million cases have been reported.

Find a vaccine clinic near you by visiting https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/index.jsp.

Becca Most is a cities reporter with the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-241-8213 or bmost@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at @becca_most. 

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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Stearns, Benton counties ranked "medium" for COVID community risk