'Medium' COVID-19 Risk In Hennepin County As Cases Climb In MN: CDC

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — Hennepin County is among 456 U.S. counties that now have "medium" levels of COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Residents in "medium" COVID-19 areas should get tested if they experience symptoms and stay up to date with their vaccines, the CDC said. Residents who are at high risk for severe illness should talk to their healthcare providers about whether they need to wear masks and take other precautions, according to the CDC.

The CDC moved Hennepin County from "low" to "medium" in early May after the county recorded more than 200 new cases per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, nine counties in Minnesota — Rice, Dodge, Olmsted, Wabasha, Fillmore, Winona, Houston, Roseau, and Lake of the Woods — have 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 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.

Public data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows COVID-19 cases across the state 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.

Jason Addy, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.