COVID-19 cases tick up; one new fatality from illness confirmed in area
Feb. 2—MANKATO — COVID-19 cases in south-central Minnesota counties rose slightly this week, while the area also had one newly confirmed fatality from the illness.
The nine counties combined for 149 new cases between Jan. 22-28, a 4% increase from last week, according to Minnesota Department of Health data. It was the second straight week of rising cases, although a much smaller uptick than the previous week's 31.2% jump.
The rises have been a departure from the six weeks of declines leading up to them. Underlying metrics suggest it's a good time to at least be alert so another quick wave of a newer variant doesn't catch us off guard, said Derek J. Wingert, a local COVID-19 data analyst.
"We're seeing some noticeable reversals of that trend both in cases and wastewater data," he said.
Wastewater data captures levels of COVID-19 found at facilities across the state, including in the Mankato area. Regions in Minnesota either saw small increases or sharp increases in the most recently available data.
Despite the increases, case, hospitalization and death totals still remain lower than they were in the first years of the pandemic. Area counties combined for eight COVID-19 fatalities between Jan. 22-28 last year, compared to the one this year.
The most recent death occurred in Nicollet County. South-central Minnesota's pandemic death toll is now 569, while Minnesota's is 14,207.
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
