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Three area residents — a 70- to 74-year-old Faribault County resident, a 70- to 74-year-old Freeborn County person and a 70- to 74-year-old Mower County person — died from COVID-19 complications between Tuesday morning and Thursday as the number of cases continues to rise.

Mower County recorded the highest number of new cases in the area, with 35 confirmed and another three cases listed as probable. The county has reported 12,083 total cases since the start of the pandemic, and 74 area residents have died from COVID-19 complications.

Freeborn County health officials reported 27 confirmed cases of the virus, and another three cases were listed as probable.

Freeborn County has recorded 9,250 total cases, and 75 area residents have died.

Among the new cases, three were found in children newborn to 3, one case apiece was found in a child 5 to 9 and a child 10 to 14, one case was discovered in a person in their 20s, seven cases were found in residents in their 30s, three cases were found in people in their 40s, eight cases were discovered in residents in their 50s, one case was found in a person in their 60s, four cases were found in people in their 70s and one case was found in a person in their 80s. 

One person was sent to a hospital for care, and there are 66 active lab-confirmed cases in the county.

In Faribault County, 16 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed. Faribault County has reported 3,843 total cases, 52 of them proving fatal.

Steele County recorded 34 confirmed cases, and nine more were listed as probable. That raises Steele County’s total number of cases to 10,657. Sixty-two area residents have also died since the pandemic began.

Waseca County health officials reported seven confirmed cases, and another three cases were listed as probable. Waseca County has experienced 5,587 total cases, and 39 area residents have died from the virus.

In Minnesota, 6,828 new cases were reported and 25 new deaths.