Watonwan, Le Sueur, Freeborn counties report COVID deaths Sunday

COVID-19 deaths were reported in Watonwan, Freeborn, and Le Sueur counties, according to Sunday’s data from the Minnesota Department of Health.

The local deaths were among 85 statewide, pushing the death toll to 4,444 since the start of the pandemic.

In Freeborn County, two people died from complications of the virus, one a person in their 80’s, the other a person in their 90’s. The deaths reported in each Le Sueur and Watonwan counties involved one person in their 70’s. Jackson, Lyon, McLeod, Nobles, and Renville counties were also among those reporting deaths. Of the total deaths, 49 involved residents of long-term care, 33 were private residents, and three came from a group home.

Another 3,439 new infections were also reported in Minnesota Monday. According to the Associated Press, Johns Hopkins University researchers say there were 1,272 new cases per 100,000 people in Minnesota over the past two weeks, which ranks fourth in the country for new cases per capita. One in every 186 people in Minnesota tested positive in the past week.