The Minnesota Department of Health reports two counties in central Minnesota are seeing a heightened threat of COVID-19 this vacation season. RSV and influenza are additionally on the rise statewide.
Pope and Douglas counties, each neighbor Stearns County to the west, have been categorised by the MDH as a excessive and reasonable threat space for COVID-19, respectively. Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Morrison and Wright counties are thought-about to be low threat.
Douglas County, which is residence to Alexandria, was categorised as a reasonable threat space on Thursday, Dec. 19, because the COVID-19 hospitalization price is at 10.66 folks per 100,000 residents, in accordance with a MDH report.
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Pope County, which is the place Glenwood is, was given a excessive threat classification by the MDH because it experiences a hospitalization price of 18.1 folks per 100,000 residents.
COVID-19 is impacting Minnesotans 65 years of age and older at a disproportionate price statewide, in accordance with the MDH. The statewide hospitalization price for this age vary is roughly 13 hospitalizations per 100,000 folks. This is in comparison with a hospitalization price of 1.18 for the ages of fifty to 64.
Minnesota’s statewide hospitalization price for influenza has elevated by almost 18 instances since Oct. 1. However, it is not hitting central Minnesota with excessive numbers. On Thursday, the MDH reported one influenza hospitalization in Stearns County whereas none have been documented in both Benton or Sherburne counties.
Influenza scorching spots embody Yellow Medicine, Aitkin, Itasca and Kittson counties.
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Meanwhile, the MDH stories Minnesota’s RSV an infection price is six instances increased than it was on Oct. 1. This enhance is closely impacting the aged inhabitants, whose RSV hospitalization price has greater than tripled because the starting of the month.
Last week, there have been three RSV-related hospitalizations in Stearns County, one in Sherburne County and none in Benton County. Counties listed at excessive threat for RVS embody Kandiyohi, Goodhue, Steele and Dodge counties.
Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He may be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
This article initially appeared on St. Cloud Times: COVID, RSV hits Minnesota senior citizens this holiday season
