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By Albert Lea Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio News

Minnesota’s COVID-19 toll took an unexpected upward swing Wednesday as the Health Department reported 17 additional deaths, the highest daily count in two months.

There was no immediate explanation for the increase. Daily deaths have been mostly in single digits since late June.

The number of people currently hospitalized — a closely watched metric as officials work to manage the spread of the disease so it doesn’t overwhelm the health care system — rose to 321, up 17 from Tuesday, with 152 of those patients needing intensive care.

Current hospitalizations remain far below a late-May peak, but the count has flattened at a relatively high level — more than 300 daily cases on average during August.

In Freeborn County, one new case was reported, increasing the county’s cumulative total to 375.

The new case was a person in their 50s, and there are now 14 active cases in the county, the Freeborn County Public Health Department stated. No one from the county is hospitalized.

Other area counties reported the following:

• Faribault County: No new cases, 96 total cases
• Mower County: Six new cases, 1,134 total cases
• Steele County: Four new cases, 375 total cases
• Waseca County: Three new cases, 183 total cases

Statewide, there were 567 new cases reported, bring the cumulative total to 66,618 positive cases. Of that number, 60,242 no longer are in isolation.

The new deaths reported were in Dakota, Hennepin, Kanabec, McLeod, Olmsted, Ramsey, Washington and Wright counties. Eight were residents of long-term care or assisted living facilities, and one was a resident of a group home or residential behavioral health facility.

The state’s total deaths is at 1,738, with 1,295 of those being residents of long-term care or assisted living facilities.

 

— Minnesota Public Radio News contributed to this report.