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Freeborn County has two confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Minnesota Department of Health on Wednesday.

The first case is a person in their 50s who is recovering at home, according to a press release from the Freeborn County Public Health Department. The second case is a person in their 70s. No other information is available on this case at this time.

Freeborn County Public Health Director Sue Yost said she could not comment on how they were exposed to the virus.

The release stated Minnesota Department of Health staff will work with Freeborn County Public Health staff on follow-up of these cases. The individuals are isolated to prevent disease spread, and a contact investigation is completed to identify close contacts. Close contacts are quarantined for 14 days from their exposure and will be monitored for fever and respiratory symptoms.

The Minnesota Department of Health said deaths across the state increased to 17 as of Wednesday, with a total of 689 positive cases. Of those cases, 122 people have required hospitalization, and 54 remain hospitalized, with 27 in intensive care.

More than half of the patients no longer need to be isolated.

Not all cases of COVID-19 are tested, so the department states the totals are not representative of the total number of people in the state who have or had COVID-19.

There have been 21,191 tests completed, of which 8,280 came from the Minnesota Department of Health’s public health lab and 12,911 came from external laboratories.

The department states the median age for confirmed cases is 47, though it is 64 for those who have been hospitalized and 84 for the people who have died.

Thirty percent of cases were likely exposed to the virus through community transmission, while 21% had known exposure to a case. Twenty percent had travel to another state with no known exposure, 15% had international travel, and 3% were likely exposed on a cruise ship. For 9% of cases, how they were exposed to the virus is unknown.

As of Wednesday morning, Mower County had 14 confirmed cases, Steele County had six, Waseca County had three, Faribault County had two, Blue Earth County had nine and Olmsted County had 66.

Hennepin County had the most cases with 218.

The Minnesota Department of Health and Gov. Tim Walz have implemented a stay-at-home order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota. The goal is that this will help slow the spread of infectious disease and place less demand on the health care sector so the most seriously ill people get the supportive care they need.

Public Health officials are recommending anyone 65 years and older, and those with underlying health conditions stay home as much possible and avoid gatherings and other instances of potential exposures, including travel.

The current recommendation is that if you are sick with respiratory symptoms or fever, stay at home for seven days after onset of symptoms, or 72 hours after resolution of the fever, whichever is longer.

For COVID-19 testing, patients must call their provider to be assessed. They will be directed to the next step that is appropriate for their symptoms. If a person has a sudden change in their health such as sudden onset of chest pain or difficulty breathing, they should call 911.

Statewide COVID-19 hotlines have been created that are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  For health questions, people should call 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903. For schools and child care questions, call 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504.

 

Recommended health precautions

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick

• If you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick

• Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water

• Cover your coughs and sneezes

• Stay home when you are sick

• Avoid crowds and maintain social distancing of six feet

 

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota

County	Cases
Anoka	26
Beltrami	4
Benton	1
Big Stone	1
Blue Earth	9
Brown	2
Carlton	2
Carver	10
Cass	1
Chisago	3
Clay	7
Clearwater	2
Cottonwood	3
Crow Wing	1
Dakota	48
Dodge	10
Douglas	1
Faribault	2
Fillmore	8
Freeborn	2
Goodhue	4
Hennepin	218
Isanti	2
Itasca	1
Jackson	1
Kandiyohi	2
Lac qui Parle	1
Le Sueur	15
Lincoln	1
Lyon	2
Mahnomen	1
Martin	29
Meeker	1
Mower	14
Nicollet	3
Olmsted	61
Otter Tail	1
Ramsey	66
Renville	1
Rice	4
Scott	10
Sherburne	8
Sibley	1
St. Louis	13
Stearns	5
Steele	6
Traverse	2
Wabasha	6
Waseca	3
Washington	44
Watonwan	2
Wilkin	1
Winona	10
Wright	6
Yellow Medicine	1

— Information from the Minnesota Department of Health