3 area counties report COVID deaths as MN’s death toll surpasses 9,000

Three area counties reported deaths Tuesday as Minnesota’s COVID-19 death toll surpassed 9,000.

Tuesday’s data is comprised of reports from the weekend and Monday, so numbers may appear higher than a single day of reporting.

Tuesday’s deaths included a person in their late 80’s in Cottonwood County and a person in their late 60’s in Freeborn County.  In Sibley County, two deaths were recorded: a person in their early 80’s and a person in their late 90’s. 

The Minnesota Department of Health also reported the death of a teenager in Goodhue County.  The teen was between the ages of 15 and 19, according to MDH.  Goodhue County also reported the death of a person in their late 30’s.

A majority of Tuesday’s 51 reported deaths came from this month, but three were from September and one from October.  Minnesota’s death toll is now at 9,047

Hospitalizations are on the rise again.  A capacity report shows 1,348 patients are currently hospitalized with the virus, including 307 who require intensive care.  In south-cental Minnesota, about 17% of staffed ICU beds remain open, but capacity is waning in much of the state.  The southeast and metro hospital regions are also running low on staffed non-ICU beds, according to the report, which was updated Tuesday with data from the previous day.

In addition, MDH has reported another 10,913 newly confirmed infections.  Here are the counties reporting new cases in southern Minnesota:

Blue Earth – 133 (2 probable)
Brown – 33
Cottonwood – 7 (14 probable)
Faribault – 27 (5 probable)
Freeborn – 54 (7 probable)
Jackson – 6 (4 probable)
Le Sueur – 37 (5 probable)
Martin – 38 (5 probable)
McLeod – 73 (28 probable)
Mower – 56
Murray – 12 (4 probable)
Nicollet – 50 (1 probable)
Nobles – 21 (4 probable)
Redwood – 31 (1 probable)
Renville – 26 (2 probable)
Rice – 116 (4 probable)
Sibley – 20 (3 probable)
Steele – 65 (1 probable)
Waseca – 18 (2 probable)
Watonwan – 12