Minnesota reported another 779 novel coronavirus infections on Friday across 64 counties, where local leaders and residents are now eyeing case growth as a determining factor in if or how their schools will open this fall.
The Minnesota Department of Health on Friday also reported six deaths from COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the virus. State totals since the start of the pandemic are now 1,600 deaths and 54,463 lab-confirmed infections.
Growth in lab-confirmed infections as usual was largest in Hennepin County, where the addition of 227 such cases brought the county total to 17,316.
Hennepin is teetering at an infection rate of above 20 per 10,000 people per two weeks — a key threshold in Gov. Tim Walz's new school reopening plan for whether students will have classes in the fall that are live, remote or a combination of the two.
Another single infection was reported Friday in southwestern Pipestone County, which has the state's highest rate in the last two weeks of 70 cases per 10,000 residents. Schools in that county would be encouraged to conduct all classes online at that rate — though that rate could change dramatically in the next month.
Health officials for weeks have urged Minnesotans to wear masks, practice social distancing and cover coughs in public to reduce the spread of the virus that is particularly harmful for the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.
More than 80% of COVID-19 deaths have involved people 70 and older, even though they make up only 9% of the lab-confirmed infections. Five of the deaths reported Friday involved people 70 or older, but one involved someone from Olmsted County in the 20s age range.
Now, state officials said Minnesotans have the added incentive of using these strategies to reduce case growth that in turn could lead to more in-school classes for students. The state threshold is fewer than 10 cases per 10,000 people per two weeks for schools to consider all in-person classes.
