8 new COVID-19 deaths, 907 cases in St. Cloud area this week as infections start to slow

Nora G. Hertel
St. Cloud Times

Another eight deaths in Central Minnesota were linked to COVID-19 infections in the last week, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Health.

As a whole the state added 14,923 cases and 75 deaths in the last week, a decline in both metrics compared to the preceding two weeks.

The local deaths reported this week include: 

  • One Stearns County resident between 85 and 89 years old,
  • Two Benton County residents between 60 and 64 years old and one between 75 and 79 years old and
  • Four Sherburne County residents in different age groups: 65 to 69, 70 to 74, 75 to 79 and 80 to 84. 

Since the start of the pandemic 479 residents of the tri-county area have died from COVID-19 or related complications, according to the state Health Department. 

Statewide 8,537 people have died from COVID-19, and there have been 770,246 cases.  

In the last week, Stearns County gained 482 cases, Benton gained 124 and Sherburne gained 301. 

More:After staff, student COVID deaths, Minnesota teachers call for better protections

Here are the local totals since the start of the pandemic in spring 2020:

  • Stearns County: 28,419 cases and 253 deaths,
  • Benton County: 7,477 cases and 111 deaths and 
  • Sherburne County: 15,515 cases and 115 deaths.

Statewide nearly 3.3 million people are fully vaccinated, according to the Minnesota vaccine dashboard

In Stearns County, 55% of the population 12 and older have started the vaccine. The vaccine is only available for people 12 and older. In Benton County 54% of people eligible for the vaccine have started it. And in Sherburne County, nearly 57% of all eligible residents have started the vaccine. 

About 190 million in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, or nearly 57%, according to Our World in Data. And globally 2.9 billion, or 37% are fully vaccinated. 

Globally, there have been more than 243 million cases of COVID-19, including more than 45.4 million in the U.S., according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center. More than 4.9 million people have died of the infection worldwide, including more than 735,000 people in the U.S.

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