New weekly COVID-19 cases in McLeod County continue to number in the hundreds as the first month of 2022 nears an end.
According to information from the Minnesota Department of Health, McLeod County reported 289 new cases between Saturday, Jan. 15, and Friday, Jan. 21. The county had reported 335 new cases the week before. Overall, the county reached 8,278 confirmed reported cases of COVID-19 and 97 COVID-related deaths as of Monday.
At her regular report to the McLeod County Board on Jan. 18, Health and Human Services Director Berit Spors provided additional context. She said that of the cases in the two weeks prior to her report, 45 had been reinfections, and that data recorded was likely not the full picture.
“It’s important to point out that these numbers only include the test results that are reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, so it does not include people who are testing at home, doing self-tests. That data is not recorded,” Spors said. “So (the) numbers are probably higher.”
Hutchinson Public Schools also tracks its confirmed COVID-19 cases and continued to see a rise in student cases. For the week of Jan. 15-21, there were 80 new cases among students and 14 among staff. For the week of Jan. 8-14 there were 76 new cases among students and 28 among staff. The cases among students were previously not nearly as high, ranging from 1-30 most weeks.
Booster vaccine shots and additional doses are available through the county at its weekly clinics at the McLeod County Government Center in Glencoe. It is also providing Pfizer vaccines to residents age 5-11. Visit tinyurl.com/2dmau963 for information about weekly vaccination clinics and to register.
There are several testing options available. The county recently distributed 225 QuickVue at-home tests it had received from the Department of Health, targeting populations that may otherwise struggle to reach COVID-19 testing. President Joe Biden’s administration also rolled out a plan this past week to provide up to four free tests per household. Visit covidtests.gov for more information and to order the tests.
Free in-person COVID testing is provided at the Hutchinson Armory at 1200 Adams St. S.E. Appointments are available 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. More information on testing sites and appointments can be found at tinyurl.com/mncovid19testing.
Hutchinson Health also provides free testing weekdays, but due to an increase in demand it is no longer available for people who have no symptoms.
Additionally, 1.8 million at-home tests will be provided to schools to distribute to students and their families, and another 150,000 rapid tests will be available to communities hardest hit by the pandemic.
The government is also distributing free N95 masks in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. According to the White House, many pharmacies and other sites that offer COVID-19 vaccines will be distributing the free N95 masks, including Walgreens and Walmart. Be sure to call local pharmacies first to ask about availability. The county is also expecting to receive masks for distribution.
