Waseca Co records first COVID-19 death; nearly 700 new positive cases statewide

(St. Paul, MN) – A Waseca County resident was one of seven COVID-19 deaths reported by the Minnesota Department of Health Thursday.

The latest deaths bring Minnesota’s COVID-19 death toll up to 1,685.  The Waseca County resident who died was a person in their 70’s, according to MDH.  The remaining deaths involved patients in their 40’s, 50’s, 80’s, and 90’s.  Those deaths came from Hennepin, Nobles, Otter Tail, Ramsey, and Washington counties.

There were 697 new confirmed positive virus cases reported statewide Thursday.  Here are the newest cases reported in Southern Minnesota:

Blue Earth – 4
Brown – 3
Cottonwood – 1
Faribault – 3
Fillmore – 1
Freeborn – 1
Le Sueur – 1
Lyon – 1
Martin – 1
McLeod – 15
Mower – 4
Murray – 1
Nicollet – 5
Nobles – 4
Redwood – 1
Rice – 4
Sibley – 1
Steele – 5
Waseca – 7
Watonwan – 40

Hospitalizations are down by 27.  As of Thursday, 308 people were hospitalized with the virus.  There are 154 people reported to be in intensive care, the same number as the previous report.

Of Minnesota’s nearly 63,000 positive cases, more than 14,000 were people in their 20’s, the most of any age group infected with the virus.

In Watonwan County, health officials said the cases reported were from May, June, and July, but hadn’t been reported earlier because of a communication error.

“Because these tests were conducted earlier in the summer they do not impact the current 14-day case rate in which public schools use to decide their plans for this fall,” said a Facebook post by the Watonwan County health department.