One COVID-19 death reported in Kandiyohi County in the current Minnesota update
WILLMAR — The number of COVID-19 cases in west central Minnesota counties held steady in the last week, according to the weekly situation update released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Health.
West central Minnesota has, on average, hovered between 100 and 200 cases per 100,000 people in the last several months, which is slightly above the average of 92.2 cases per 100,000 people statewide. The 11 counties tracked by the West Central Tribune reported 337 new cases of COVID-19 between Nov. 13 and Nov. 19, up just three from the week prior.
One death related to COVID-19 was reported in Kandiyohi County. The state’s current total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is now 13,663, an increase of 53 from last week’s report.
Contributed / Minnesota Department of Health
As it has been since December 2021, the dominant COVID-19 variant affecting Minnesotans is the Omicron variant.
The state’s report of new cases is an undercount, because at-home test results are not included.
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In west central Minnesota, 12 people from area counties were hospitalized at some point between Nov. 13 and Nov. 19 — nine in Stearns County and one each in Pope, Meeker, and Swift counties.
In all cases, the numbers in the updates are preliminary and may change as more information is received.
Contributed / Minnesota Department of Health
New cases reported last week:
- Big Stone, 9
- Chippewa, 6
- Kandiyohi, 27
- Lac qui Parle, 6
- Meeker, 19
- Pope, 19
- Redwood, 15
- Renville, 10
- Stearns, 207
- Swift, 12
- Yellow Medicine, 7
The state’s cumulative number of cases is 1,707,968, including reinfections.
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.
As of this week’s report, 4,000,475 Minnesotans, 71.9%, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 3,761,171 of the state’s population, 67.6%, have completed the vaccine series. The complete series could be one, two, or three doses depending on the person’s age and which vaccine they received. It does not include booster doses.
The number of people listed as being up-to-date with their vaccines, meaning they have had booster shots, is 1,004,302, which is 18.1% of Minnesotans. For age 6 months through 4 years, up-to-date means a complete primary series. For people over 5, up-to-date means a complete primary series and a bivalent booster dose when due.
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.
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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. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday the data update was posted Wednesday, Nov. 23, however data is still as of 4 a.m. on the Tuesday prior, unless noted otherwise.
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