'High' COVID-19 Risk In Rice County As Cases Climb In MN: CDC

RICE COUNTY, MN — Public health officials are urging residents in at least nine Minnesota counties to once again wear masks indoors due to a "high" levels of COVID-19 in those communities.

Seven counties in southeastern Minnesota — Rice, Dodge, Olmsted, Wabasha, Fillmore, Winona and Houston — and two in northern Minnesota — Roseau and Lake of the Woods counties — had a "high" COVID-19 levels Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's county-level data dashboard.

Residents in counties with "high" levels of COVID-19 should wear masks when in inside in public, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they feel symptoms, the CDC said.

Those who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease should consider avoiding nonessential indoor activities in public spaces and develop a plan for rapid testing, according to the CDC.

Just 4.25 percent of all U.S. counties — 137 — had a "high" level of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the CDC's dashboard shows.

Rice County is among 137 U.S. counties that had "high" levels of COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to the CDC.

The county returned to "low" COVID-19 levels on March 24 and remained there through May 11. The CDC moved Rice County to "high" May 12 after the county recorded 304 cases per 100,000 residents.

Public data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows COVID-19 cases are on the rise again.The state recorded its highest-ever seven-day average of new cases — almost 11,000 — on Jan. 12, public health statistics show. That measure fell to just 316 by mid-March and hovered in that range for almost a month before starting to climb.

Minnesota's seven-day average of new cases hit 1,711 on Tuesday, according to the Department of Health.

More than 16,930 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Rice County since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and 176 residents have died, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

According to MDH's vaccine dashboard, 65.8 percent of residents ages 5 and older have completed their vaccine series.