COVID-19: Olmsted County Social Distancing Limiting Transmission

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Several reports have ranked Minnesota at the top among the states when it comes to practicing safe social distancing and the data shows Olmsted County residents appear to be doing a significantly better job than the state as a whole.

Olmsted Public Health Information Officer Kari Etrheim says the testing and investigations conducted in Olmsted County since the start of the coronavirus pandemic have found about 20-percent of the local cases of COVID-19 have been the result of the community transmission of the new virus. That compares with the statewide average of around 30-percent from community transmission. Etrheim congratulated the community for its efforts but also stressed the need for continued vigilance in slowing the spread of the illness.

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Approximately 7000 tests for COVID-19 have been conducted in Olmsted County since mid-March and about 2-percent of the individuals tested have been positive for the coronavirus. As of Monday, there have been 96 confirmed cases of the illness in Olmsted County and 2 deaths. Etrheim says the second death was reported over the weekend and involved an 87-year-old Rochester area resident who was already in hospice care when they contracted the infection.

News Update:  COVID-19: Minnesota Cases Approaching 1,000