Three more cases of COVID-19 in Crow Wing County residents were reported Tuesday, April 7, bringing the county’s total laboratory-confirmed cases to nine, while two more cases appeared in nearby Cass County.

These cases are among those pushing Minnesota past a milestone Tuesday, as confirmed instances of COVID-19 surpassed 1,000 to reach 1,069. Of those, 120 are hospitalized, 64 of which are in intensive care units. A total of 549 patients no longer need to be isolated.

Crow Wing County reported it received notification from the Minnesota Department of Health of the three new cases Monday evening. Among them are two men and one woman. Specific age data on the news cases was unavailable Tuesday morning.

Overall, seven male and two female residents have been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Two are hospitalized, two are not hospitalized, and the hospitalization status of five of the patients was unknown Tuesday. Three patients are no longer in isolation. One of those diagnosed is a health care worker, four are not health care workers and four were unknown. One of the nine people is known to be in a congregate living setting.

Five of the Crow Wing County cases are not related to travel, while the other four are still under investigation.

In Cass County, MDH reported two new cases Tuesday, the first since March 22. Cass County Administrator Josh Stevenson said those residents are a woman in her 30s and a man in his 70s. Stevenson said he had no additional information concerning whether those patients are hospitalized or other statistical data.

While these represent the laboratory-confirmed cases, state health officials have repeatedly warned these numbers are likely a significant undercount of the true number of those infected with COVID-19. Minnesotans should assume the disease is circulating in all communities, MDH states.

Symptoms, recommendations and resources

In a majority of cases, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. Health officials recommend individuals and families make a plan in case someone gets sick. They also suggest following the same steps for avoiding the flu:

• Stay home and away from others if sick.

• Cover coughs and sneezes with an elbow or a tissue.

• Wash hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and water.

• Avoid touching the face.

The Minnesota Department of Health has set up COVID-19 hotlines available every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

• School and childcare questions: 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504.

• Health questions: 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903.

Visit cdc.gov and health.state.mn.us for more information about COVID-19.

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