As the Delta variant of the SARS-Co-V-2 virus continues to make its way around Minnesota – estimates attribute about 98 percent of the state’s cases to the new wave of the illness – Wright County is seeing a surge in those being hospitalized by COVID-19, according to Wright County Public Health.
In a report released Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, the county states rates are similar to a spring surge that caused dozens of deaths around the county – attributed to the Beta variant of the virus – which occurred in April and May of the year, just as the COVID vaccine was being released to the general public.
According to the health department:
For the third straight week, the county saw the highest seven-day total for new confirmed cases since the end of April, with 364 new cases in Wright County. In addition, there were 20 cases that required hospitalization – the most since the first week of May – as well as three cases that required Intensive Care Unit treatment. Two deaths were attributed to the diseases last week.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 18,006 cases in Wright County with 771 hospitalizations, 152 that required ICU treatment and 161 deaths attributed to COVID.
To see the full dashboard, click here.
Vaccinations Slowly Rise
As of Sept. 12, nearly 50 percent of Wright County had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. About 46.8 percent of the county was fully vaccinated. The percentage is better for those 12 and up, with 62.1 percent of the county vaccinated with at least one dose, according to the state. And of those 65 and older, at more than 90 percent have received the shot.
That’s up be about two points on both counts since one month ago. On Aug. 12, 2021, the state reported about 47.8 percent of eligible Wright County residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 44.7 percent of the county (again, those eligible to get the vaccine) was fully vaccinated. Vaccinations were up nearly 75 percent in August after taking a serious dip in July.