County sees sixth COVID death in less than a month

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
With information
also from MPR
Swift County’s 25th death from COVID-19 was reported by the Minnesota Department of Health Monday. The person was between the ages of 90 and 91.
The six deaths the county has recorded between Nov. 16 and Dec. 13 are one less than the seven recorded during the same time frame in the other four counties that belong to Countryside Public Health combined. Chippewa County has seen three deaths during the period, Yellow Medicine two, and both Lac qui Parle and Big Stone one.
With its larger population, Chippewa County has seen the most deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic started with 43.
As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention showed Swift County COVID-19 positivity rate of 10.8% over the past seven days. The CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) say the positivity rate should be 5% or less to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Swift County-Benson Health Services has seen positivity rates as high as 35% in the past six weeks.
While people think COVID-19 is a disease deadly only to those 65 and older, the Delta variant is striking young people hard as well. In the first 10 days of December, two young people between the ages of 15 and 19 have died, one between the ages of 20 and 24, and two between the ages of 25 and 29.
Of the 536 COVID-19 deaths reported by the MDH this month, 188 (38%) have been among those under the age of 70 while 302 (62%) of the victims were 70 or older. As of the Dec. 13 MDH report, 114 of the 536 December deaths, 21.2%, have been among those between the ages of 60 and 69
 
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