Rochester Area Experiencing Steady COVID Activity
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - COVID-19 activity in the Rochester area has been fairly steady over the past couple of weeks at levels that were last seen just before the massive surge began in the second half of October.
Olmsted Public Health says preliminary statistics show there were 373 new infections in the county last week. That was slightly above the total from the previous week and the average number of new cases remained in the 50 to 55 range each day. During the peak of the surge in November, the daily average was in the 140 to 160 range.
Statewide, the Minnesota Department of Health today reported 851 new cases including 48 new infections found in Olmsted County. The testing total from Tuesday was around 15,620 and the daily testing positivity rate was about 5.2 percent.
18 additional coronavirus related deaths were reported today. One of the deaths involved a resident of Goodhue County in their early 70s.
The number of Minnesotans receiving the COVID-19 vaccine continues to steadily rise. The total reported by state health officials today exceeded 300,000 people who have received at least one dose. The number of Minnesotans who have had both shots is now above 73,000. The overall total for Olmsted County has climbed to about 22,300 and over 6700 local residents have received both doses of the vaccine.