33 new COVID-19 deaths along with 7,833 new coronavirus cases were reported today as Minnesota’s seven-day average for case positivity has now reached a record high of 15.6%.

The previous record for average positivity rate was 15.5%, which was recorded back on April 29, 2020.

Today’s numbers come as state health officials say the omicron variant has taken over as the prominent variant of COVID-19 in Minnesota, and that they expect to see a high number of cases in the next month.

Health officials also noted that for various reasons, the data being released each day is not the complete picture of the situation. Some days there is a backlog of results due to the amount of tests being conducted each day. Also, more and more people are taking at-home tests, and those results do not count in the state’s totals.

There were seven deaths reported in the Lakeland viewing area:

• One person from Cass County between the ages of 70 and 74
• One person from Clearwater County between the ages of 85 and 89
• Two people from Crow Wing County, one between the ages of 25 and 29 and one between the ages of 60 and 64
• One person from Itasca County between the ages of 70 and 74
• One person from Morrison County between the ages of 85 and 89
• One person from Todd County between the ages of 50 and 54

There are currently 1,467 people hospitalized for COVID-19, with 269 of those in ICU beds. Yesterday, there 1,469 people hospitalized with 272 in ICU beds.

In the Lakeland viewing area, there were 368 cases reported in the following counties:

• Aitkin – 5
• Beltrami – 32
• Cass – 25
• Clearwater – 2
• Crow Wing – 64
• Hubbard – 20
• Itasca – 62
• Koochiching – 3
• Lake of the Woods – 4
• Mahnomen – 8
• Mille Lacs – 25
• Morrison – 22
• Polk – 23
• Roseau – 16
• Todd – 45
• Wadena – 12

By — Lakeland News