The state today reported 71 new COVID-19 related deaths along with 4,149 new coronavirus cases.

There were eight deaths in the Lakeland viewing area:

• One person from Aitkin County between the ages of 70 and 74
• One person from Cass County between the ages of 70 and 74
• Two people from Crow Wing County, one between the ages of 60 and 64 and the other between the ages of 65 and 69
• One person from Itasca County between the ages of 75 and 79
• Two people from Mille Lacs County, one between the ages of 70 and 74 and the other between the ages of 75 and 79
• One person from Morrison County between the ages of 85 and 89

The seven-day average for case positivity is now at 13.4%, a sharp increase from 11.9% reported yesterday and the highest seven-day average since November of 2020.

There are currently 1,405 people hospitalized for COVID-19. This is an increase from yesterday when 1,371 people were hospitalized, although the number of ICU beds in use has gone down from 293 yesterday to 285 today.

In the Lakeland viewing area, there were 33 confirmed cases and 106 probable cases in the following counties (with confirmed cases in bold):

• Aitkin – 2, 5
• Beltrami – 1, 25
• Cass – 0, 3
• Clearwater – 0, 5
• Crow Wing – 14, 7
• Hubbard – 0, 2
• Itasca – 4, 6
• Koochiching – 1, 6
• Mille Lacs – 3, 14
• Morrison – 1, 8
• Polk – 5, 6
• Roseau – 1, 5
• Todd – 1, 3
• Wadena – 0, 1

Confirmed cases are based on PCR-positive tests, while probable cases are based on antigen-positive tests.

By — Lakeland News