COVID-19 cases decline in region
Nov. 11—MANKATO — A decline in new COVID-19 cases this week interrupted the south-central region’s recent upward trend, but hospitalizations and deaths rose.
The nine area counties combined for 217 new cases between Oct. 30-Nov. 5, a 15.9% drop from the previous week. It’s a departure from the 47% and 42% weekly increases leading up to Oct. 30-Nov. 5, according to Minnesota Department of Health data.
A drop is encouraging, and the next week following suit would be a stronger indicator of cases plateauing or being on the downswing in the region.
Another possibility is it’s a blip, as cases remain markedly higher than they were a month ago. Weekly cases were also up statewide by 4.8%, making for a week of mixed signals, said Derek J. Wingert, a local COVID-19 data analyst.
“As reassuring as a 15% drop would be in most typical weeks, given the fast increase over the prior two we went up almost 100%, it’s not all that reassuring,” he said.
Death and hospitalization data provide more mixed signals. Fatalities from COVID-19 rose from two to four over the two most recent reporting weeks, with the most recent deaths occurring in two Brown County residents and one resident each in Faribault and Martin counties.
Compared to last year’s COVID-19 fatalities, though, this fall is looking much better. There were 10 fatalities between Oct. 3 and Nov. 5, compared to 54 during the same date range in 2021, according to health department data.
COVID-19 hospitalizations rose from 10 to 21 in recent weeks. While it was a doubling, 21 isn’t notably high compared to recent months.
This fall and winter could be the first time since the pandemic began that the region has to contend with COVID-19 alongside a more typical influenza season. Mitigation strategies put in place to limit COVID-19 led to minimal influenza cases and hospitalizations in 2020 and 2021.
Even though it’s still early in flu season, the state had a spike in flu cases and hospitalizations last week. The rise came at least a month earlier than upswings began in past flu seasons.
Minnesota had 182 flu hospitalizations through Nov. 5. In 2021, there were only six flu hospitalizations as of that date.
Most of this season’s hospitalizations, 86%, occurred in the Twin Cities metro area. The south-central region has so far had two — compared to zero up to this point last year.
Data from Mayo Clinic Health System shows the region’s two flu hospitalizations didn’t occur in Mankato. The health system has seen a gradual rise in flu positives this fall, from one in September to six in October to 19 so far in November.
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
