More than one-quarter of all the confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Crow Wing County since the beginning of the pandemic occurred in the last week.

The positive test results of nearly 600 county residents were counted this week by the Minnesota Department of Health. This coupled with 35 new hospitalizations since Nov. 5 demonstrates the accelerating community spread and its negative impacts witnessed across the state. All seven area counties, including Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Todd and Wadena, saw case numbers increase by triple digits this week.

Complications from the disease caused by the coronavirus led to the deaths of another five area residents: a Wadena resident in their early 70s, a Cass County resident in their early 80s, and Aitkin County and Mille Lacs County residents in their early 90s. Also reported by county health officials but not yet the state was the death of a Crow Wing County woman in her 90s. In total, 17 deaths occurred in the region split between all seven counties.

Outbreak locations

Four lakes area restaurants and bars were identified last week by the health department as sites of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Local establishments include Applebee’s Bar and Grill in Baxter with seven total cases, all of which were unique; Boulder Tap House in Baxter with 18 total cases and eight unique cases; Log Cabin Bar in Emily, which had 10 total cases and eight unique; and Shep’s on 6th in Brainerd, with 15 total cases, nine of which were unique.

Cases are considered unique when the infected person reports that site as the only location they visited during the time frame of possible infection. Though cases report visiting at least one of the investigated establishments, this may not be the true source of their infection, the health department notes on its list. Secondary cases — or further transmission from these cases to household members, co-workers or others — are not included in this report.

Doug Schultz, information officer with the health department, said the agency is trying to move people away from focusing on the specific locations of outbreaks given the widespread nature of infection at this point.

“The spread is really happening everywhere and comes from all of us,” Schultz wrote in an email.

There have been a total of 209 investigations at 194 establishments. Some establishments have been investigated more than once. There are 3,373 unique cases who report visiting these investigated establishments. Of these investigations, 117 met the outbreak threshold and the establishment names have been released to the media. There are 2,406 unique cases who report visiting these outbreak establishments.

COVID-19 data as of Nov. 13

• Aitkin — 418 (+129 since Friday, Nov. 6), with 10 (+5) deaths.

• Cass — 833 (+218), with nine (+4) deaths.

• Crow Wing — 2,211 (+590), with 24 (+2) deaths.

• Mille Lacs — 967 (+313), with 22 (+1) deaths.

• Morrison — 1,269 (+249), with 15 (+3) deaths.

• Todd — 1,345 (+245), with 10 (+1) deaths.

• Wadena — 479 (+103), with six (+1) deaths.

NOTE: These numbers are cumulative since March 21 and many are out of isolation.