Four COVID-19 deaths reported in west central Minnesota over the weekend

Carolyn Lange, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·3 min read

Apr. 12—WILLMAR — There were four COVID-related deaths and 264 new cases of COVID reported over the weekend in the region.

Stearns County reported the death of three individuals, including one individual in their early 30s, one in their late 60s and another in their late 70s.

Yellow Medicine County reported the death of an individual in their early 60s.

Statewide there were 25 additional deaths and 4,238 new cases reported over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the state has now exceeded 2 million people who have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Of the 11 counties tracked by the West Central Tribune, Stearns County reported the largest number of new cases over the weekend, with 158 cases over the two days.

Kandiyohi County had 34, Meeker County reported 22, Renville County had 13, Pope County had 12, Redwood County had 10, Swift County reported six new cases, Yellow Medicine County had five, Chippewa County had three and Lac qui Parle County had one new case over the two-day weekend.

Big Stone County, which at this point has the highest percentage of people vaccinated in the region, did not report any new cases of COVID over the weekend.

The state's cumulative number of cases is now 542,053.

Of the cumulative number of cases, 39,974 of them have been among health care workers.

The state's current total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is now at 6,957. Most of the deaths, 4,318, have occurred in long-term care or assisted living facilities, and 5,751 of the people who died were 70 or older.

The information was included in the daily situation update from the Minnesota Department of Health, released at 11 a.m. daily. The data released are current as of 4 p.m. the day before.

Since the start of the pandemic, the number of COVID-19 cases among residents confirmed to reside in area counties and the number of deaths includes:

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Big Stone County: 554 cases; 4 deaths

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Chippewa County: 1,437 cases; 36 deaths

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Kandiyohi County: 6,203 cases; 79 deaths

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Lac qui Parle County: 731 cases; 22 deaths

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Meeker County: 2,280 cases; 37 deaths

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Pope County: 992 cases; 6 deaths

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Redwood County: 1,637 cases; 35 deaths

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Renville County: 1,680 cases; 43 deaths

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Stearns County: 20,596 cases; 216 deaths

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Swift County: 975 cases; 18 deaths

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Yellow Medicine County: 1,084 cases; 19 deaths

The state is now also reporting daily vaccine administration numbers. As of the latest report, 2,050,888 people have received one dose and 1,386,766 have completed the vaccine series statewide.

The percent of people age 16 and over who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in area counties ranges from 39% of residents in Meeker County to 63% in Big Stone County. To date, 43% of residents age 16 and over in Kandiyohi County have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

According to the latest figures, the number of individuals who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in area counties includes:

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Big Stone: 2,554

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Chippewa: 4,365

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Kandiyohi: 14,392

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Lac qui Parle: 2,939

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Meeker: 7,061

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Pope: 4,371

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Redwood: 5,071

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Renville: 5,485

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Stearns: 52,439

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Swift: 3,841

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Yellow Medicine: 4,053

The vaccine data web page is updated at 11 a.m. daily, but it can take up to 48 hours for data to be reported to the state and processed.

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