8 weekend COVID-19 deaths; Blue Earth County cases approach 700

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(AP/SMN) – There were eight new COVID-19 deaths reported over the weekend, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Health.

That brings the state’s death toll to 1,541.

Blue Earth County added ten new cases of the virus Sunday, bringing the county total to 669. There have been two deaths in Blue Earth County since the start of the pandemic.

Health officials report the number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases jumped by 737 on Sunday. The number of newly confirmed cases compares with 464 reported Saturday. It’s the second-largest single-day increase in July so far and brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota to 46,204 since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations are at 258, with 120 people in the intensive care unit.

Here’s where each Southern Minnesota County stands on case numbers:

Blue Earth – 669 (2 deaths)
Brown – 55 (2 deaths)
Cottonwood – 147
Faribault – 70
Fillmore – 45
Freeborn – 325
Jackson – 61
Le Sueur – 153 (1 death)
Lyon – 377 (3 deaths)
McLeod – 111
Martin – 184 (5 deaths)
Mower – 1,006 (2 deaths)
Murray – 94
Nicollet – 225 (13 deaths)
Nobles – 1,706 (6 deaths)
Redwood – 27
Renville – 44 (4 deaths)
Rice – 915 (8 deaths)
Sibley – 66 (2 deaths)
Steele – 279 (1 death)
Waseca – 89
Watonwan – 278