County records 31st COVID death; cases are rising again
By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County is seeing a rise in its positivity rate of COVID-19 as case numbers rise. The positivity rate relates to those who are tested and the percentage who are positive.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the rate of community transmission of the virus at a high 11.15% in Swift County. Just a few weeks ago it was down to 5%.
As of Monday, it had jumped to 16.11% with Swift County surrounded by counties with much higher positivity rates. Pope County’s positivity rate is 28.62% and Stevens County’s 26.97%.
County Positivity rate
Swift 16.11%
Big Stone 16.16%
Chippewa 17.52%
Lac qui Parle 24.59%
Stevens 26.97%
Pope 28.62%
Swift County also saw its 31st death from COVID-19 last week. It was the second death of January.
Swift County has seen 1,940 cases of COVID-19 since the first case was reported in the county in April 2020. Stevens County has seen 2,182 cases and Pope County 2,477, for a combined total of 4,659. However, combined the two counties have seen fewer deaths reported than Swift County.
In the first week of January, Swift County saw 16 cases of COVID-19 confirmed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH.) In the second week, it confirmed another 27 with 16 of them on Friday alone. This past week, it saw its case numbers jump to 60. There were eight new cases reported Monday, but Tuesday’s number is likely to be higher as weekend numbers are included.
The statistics reported by the MDH do not include the results from home tests.
As of Monday, Countryside Public Health was reporting 67 active cases of COVID-19 in Swift County. Neighboring Chippewa County had 147 active cases.
Current Active Cases
County Active
Big Stone 65
Swift 67
Yellow Medicine 92
Lac qui Parle 98
Chippewa 147
County vaccination stalled
Even as COVID-19 case numbers rapidly increase in western Minnesota the number of those getting vaccinated has stalled out. There were no percentage point increases in any age group tracked by the MDH for Swift County.
To stop the spread of COVID-19, and the development of new variations, a vaccination rate of between 85% and 90% may be needed. However, with the omicron variant now able to infect those who have already been vaccinated, it is uncertain how transmission will be slowed or stopped.
However, stopping the spread of COVID-19 and preventing new variants is only half of what vaccinations will provide the community and state. Exhausted medical personnel in overwhelmed ICU units continue to care for critically ill COVID patients with nearly 100% not vaccinated.
While breakthrough cases are being reported among those who have been vaccinated and who have had COVID-19 in the past, there are proven advantages to having been vaccinated - especially for those who have gotten the first two shots and the booster.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is a safer and more dependable way to build immunity to than getting sick with COVID-19, the CDC says.
“COVID-19 vaccination causes a more predictable immune response than infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine gives most people a high level of protection and can provide added protection for people who already had COVID-19,” it says. “One study showed that, for people who already had COVID-19, those who do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more than two times as likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get fully vaccinated after their recovery.”
Also, those who have been vaccinated and get COVID-19 have a less severe case of the deadly disease.
For more on this story, subscribe to the Monitor-News and support community journalism.