COVID deaths reported in 5 area counties Thursday
Five area counties reported COVID deaths Thursday, according to a daily update from the Minnesota Department of Health.
There were 72 deaths statewide, bringing Minnesota’s total since the start of the pandemic to 9,554, according to state health officials. Among those who perished was a Brown County resident in their early 70’s. A person from Nicollet County in the same age group also died. Watonwan County reported the death of a person in their early 80’s. Freeborn and Faribault counties each reported a death involving a person in their early 60’s. A second death in Faribault County involved a resident in their early 90’s. Nearby Steele County recorded the death of a person in their late 20’s, and a resident from Rice County in their 40’s also died.
Hospitalizations as of Thursday were at 1,556, which includes 353 patients in intensive care. That’s according to a capacity report from MDH, which shows four (17%) available ICU beds in Minnesota’s south-central region, which includes Blue Earth and Nicollet counties.
Minnesota also recorded 5,313 new infections Thursday. Here are some of the local case counts:
Blue Earth – 57 (3 probable)
Brown – 9 (1 probable)
Cottonwood – 5 (6 probable)
Faribault – 11 (1 probable)
Fillmore – 20 (1 probable)
Freeborn – 33 (3 probable)
Le Sueur – 16 (1 probable)
Martin – 14 (3 probable)
Nicollet – 31 (1 probable)
Sibley – 18 (2 probable)
Waseca – 22 (1 probable)
Watonwan – 18 (2 probable)