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Area counties continued to report new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, as the nationwide deaths tied to the virus surpassed 200,000.

Deaths are running at close to 770 a day on average across the country, and a widely cited model from the University of Washington predicts the U.S. toll will double to 400,000 by the end of the year as schools and colleges reopen and cold weather sets in. A vaccine is unlikely to become widely available until 2021.

“The idea of 200,000 deaths is really very sobering, in some respects stunning,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said on CNN.

While the country has less than 5% of the world’s population, it has accounted for more than 20% of the worldwide deaths.

The following are the daily updates from local counties:

• Freeborn County: three new cases, 526 total cases

The Freeborn County Public Health Department stated of the county’s total cases, 66 are considered active cases and three people are hospitalized. One case was added to Freeborn County’s list from another county.

The new cases included one person under 10, one person between 10 and 20, and one person in their 20s. No information was available about the person added from the other county.

The Albert Lea Area Schools website stated as of Tuesday morning there were 20 active cases in the district. Albert Lea High School has had 19 cases, 16 of which are active; the Area Learning Center has one case; Southwest Middle School has two cases; and Lakeview Elementary School has one case.

• Faribault County: one new case, 133 total cases
• Mower County: eight new cases, 1,301 total cases
• Steele County: five new cases, 526 total cases
• Waseca County: 17 new cases, 550 total cases

The Federal Bureau of Prisons website stated 113 inmates and two staff members currently have active COVID-19 cases at the Waseca prison, which is a low-security federal correctional institution for female offenders.

Statewide, 513 new cases were reported, increasing the state’s cumulative total to 91,422. Of that number, 82,833 are no longer in isolation, and 290 are hospitalized, including 136 in intensive care, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

The number of people hospitalized grew by 35 people from the previous day.

Ten new deaths were reported across the state in Hennepin, Hubbard, Lac qui Parle, Martin, Pipestone, Red Lake, Redwood, St. Louis and Stearns counties.

All but one of the people who died were 75 or older, and five resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities. One person was in their late 50s.

The new deaths increase the state’s total death count to 1,979, of which 1,430 resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities.

 

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.