Daily COVID-19 update: Hospitalizations in Minnesota again pass 300; new cases reported in 3 area counties

Published 12:13 pm Wednesday, July 29, 2020

By Minnesota Public Radio News

COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to climb Wednesday as the Health Department reported 310 people now hospitalized in Minnesota, including 143 needing intensive care.

It’s the first time in a month that total current hospitalizations rose above 300, the product of a weekslong upswing in new confirmed infections. It’s the highest ICU case count in a month.

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The number of daily deaths continues in single digits — nine more death were reported on Wednesday. New cases, however, continue their upward climb with an another 681 cases confirmed.

State public health leaders are expected to brief reporters at 2 p.m.

The newest counts come a day after Minnesota saw one of its largest one-day increases in hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

Current hospitalizations and ICU cases are two metrics closely watched by public health leaders as they try to manage the spread of the disease so it doesn’t overwhelm the care system.

While hospitalizations still remain far lower now than at the late-May peak, officials have been bracing Minnesotans in recent days to expect a surge following the climb in new confirmed cases. That appears to be happening.

Of the 52,947 confirmed COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, about 88 percent of those infected have recovered to the point they no longer need to be isolated.

Among the 1,589 who’ve died, about 77 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities, nearly all had underlying health problems.

 

Local cases

The Freeborn County Public Health Department reported five new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, increasing the county’s cumulative case count to 349.

The new cases include one person under 10, one in their 40s, one in their 50s and one in their 60s. No information is available about the fifth person.

The department stated there are 20 active cases in the county, and no one from the county is currently hospitalized.

Two new cases were reported in Waseca County, increasing that county’s total case count to 119; and one new case was reported in Faribault County, increasing its total to 76.

No new cases were reported in Mower or Steele counties, and those counties remain at 1,054 and 315 cases, respectively.

 

Confirmed Minnesota COVID-19 cases, deaths

County Cases Deaths
Aitkin 25 0
Anoka 3,130 112
Becker 120 1
Beltrami 164 0
Benton 292 3
Big Stone 22 0
Blue Earth 794 4
Brown 76 2
Carlton 116 0
Carver 710 2
Cass 46 2
Chippewa 92 1
Chisago 158 1
Clay 725 39
Clearwater 14 0
Cook 2 0
Cottonwood 162 0
Crow Wing 170 13
Dakota 3,656 102
Dodge 119 0
Douglas 119 0
Faribault 76 0
Fillmore 56 0
Freeborn 349 1
Goodhue 161 8
Grant 43 1
Hennepin 16,881 810
Houston 37 0
Hubbard 22 0
Isanti 101 0
Itasca 122 12
Jackson 67 0
Kanabec 23 1
Kandiyohi 650 1
Kittson 3 0
Koochiching 61 3
Lac qui Parle 6 0
Lake 14 0
Lake of the Woods 1 0
Le Sueur 190 1
Lincoln 53 0
Lyon 412 3
McLeod 119 0
Mahnomen 20 1
Marshall 26 0
Martin 199 5
Meeker 82 2
Mille Lacs 52 3
Morrison 80 1
Mower 1,054 2
Murray 118 1
Nicollet 281 13
Nobles 1,734 6
Norman 32 0
Olmsted 1,547 21
Otter Tail 159 2
Pennington 65 1
Pine 122 0
Pipestone 138 8
Polk 121 3
Pope 35 0
Ramsey 6,503 257
Red Lake 10 0
Redwood 30 0
Renville 53 4
Rice 961 8
Rock 64 0
Roseau 41 0
St. Louis 348 18
Scott 1,249 11
Sherburne 595 6
Sibley 76 2
Stearns 2,758 20
Steele 315 1
Stevens 15 0
Swift 51 1
Todd 412 2
Traverse 9 0
Wabasha 74 0
Wadena 23 0
Waseca 119 0
Washington 1,760 43
Watonwan 297 0
Wilkin 25 3
Winona 231 16
Wright 744 5
Yellow Medicine 46 0
Unknown/missing 114 0