Itasca County Sees Spike in COVID-19 Cases

Cases of COVID-19 have been rapidly increasing in Itasca County. As of Monday, Oct. 12, the county has identified 575 cases, with 223 cases identified over the past 14 days. Health officials are seeing spread within the community, associated with family and friends, workplaces, bars, and restaurants.

Last month, over 900 people were tested in a mass testing event in Grand Rapids, where only 15 of those tests came back positive. There are many other cases that are not associated with the mass testing event.

As of Oct. 4, the county’s 14-day rate of COVID-19 was 38.6 positive cases per 10,000 residents. As of Thursday morning, Oct. 8, total positive cases among Itasca County residents stood at 506, double the Sept. 12 number.

There has not been any spread within schools in Itasca County. But due to the high case numbers within the county, schools may change their learning method to online or being further distanced.