Tuesday's COVID-19 update from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) includes 5,686 new cases and 21 newly reported deaths. The totals are from three days (Saturday-Monday), thus they may appear higher than normal. The state's death toll is 8,457 since the start of the pandemic. Of the total deaths, 55.9% (4,709) were residents of long-term care. Through Oct. 18, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota was 950 – down from 1,007 reported Monday. Of those hospitalized, 246 people are in intensive care and 704 were in general hospital care. The 5,686 positive results in Tuesday's update were from 78,725 completed tests, creating a test positivity rate of 7.22%. Todd County is currently at 3,973 confirmed cases of covid -19 along with 36 deaths.
Two youth were injured in an ATV crash near Backus on Saturday. Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch reports that on October 16th at 12:50 PM, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an ATV crash with injuries on the Bull Moose Trail in Bull Moose Township, rural Backus, MN. Deputies and responders arrived and learned that a 2017 Honda ATV had left the trail, striking a tree. The driver of the machine, a juvenile female, age 14 of St. Cloud, was treated on scene and transported via helicopter to a St. Cloud Hospital with serious injuries. The passenger, a juvenile female, age 9 of St Cloud, was treated on scene. The investigation indicated that helmets were not worn by either juvenile. Assisting at the scene were Backus Responders & Fire, North Memorial Ambulance and North Memorial Ambulance.
Monday's COVID-19 update from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) includes 2,868 new cases and 29 newly reported deaths. Today's report includes data from Friday. Data submitted to MDH Saturday-Monday will be included in Tuesday's report. The state's death toll is 8,436 since the start of the pandemic. Of the total deaths, 55.9% (4,704) were residents of long-term care. Through Oct. 15, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota was 1,007 – up from 999 on Friday. Of those hospitalized, 246 people are in intensive care and 761 were in general hospital care. State health officials confirmed to Bring Me The News that hospital capacity in Minnesota is at its lowest now compared to any other point during the pandemic, largely due to staffing shortages. Todd County is currently at 3,918 confirmed cases of covid-19 along with 36 deaths.