BEMIDJI -- The five individuals with positive coronavirus cases in Beltrami County have all moved beyond the 14 day infectious period. However, according to health models, residents should be prepared for another wave in the future.
"Looking at the modeling the governor has been doing with the University of Minnesota and MDH, along with work Sanford has been doing, we expect cases will continue to increase until we get through June for sure," said Cynthia Borgen, Beltrami County Public Health director. "Most are looking at a June or July period where Beltrami will reach the peak of cases we will have."
The five cases that were identified in Beltrami County all had some kind of travel attributed. One of the individuals had international travel while the other four had out-of-state travel.
Moving forward, Borgen said the county is preparing for the next phase of the process.
"We're making sure we have our plans in place," Borgen said. "At Public Health, we have the responsibility to provide essential services for individuals in isolation. So we are working with several different local facilities so that we're ready to isolate and/or quarantine individuals as we move into this phase."
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition to its work in preparations, the county also sent out tips for residents this week to help them stay safe in the pandemic:
For seasonal "snow bird" residents, the county is asking citizens who may have spent winter away and are returning to stay at home for 14 days.
For residents needing to make shopping trips, the county recommends a family to send just one person to the store, to make the trip as short as possible and to try and wash or sanitize hands before entering and leaving the store.
The county is also reminding residents that while its doors are closed, the License Center is still working on documentation through the mail and its drop box. The office can be reached at (218) 333-4148.
Across the state
In surrounding counties, the number of cases according to the Minnesota Department of Health was as follows:
- Cass County with four.
- Clearwater County with three.
- Itasca County with two.
- Koochiching County with one.
- Roseau County with one.
In total across the state, there have been 43,053 tests completed with 2,071 positive cases. Since the pandemic began in Minnesota, there have been 111 deaths, while 1,066 are no longer in isolation.
There have been 518 total cases hospitalized and as of Friday, there were 223 individuals hospitalized with 106 in ICU rooms.
