Three more cases of COVID-19 among Crow Wing County residents were confirmed by the Minnesota Department of Health Saturday, April 4.
This brings the county’s total to six residents with laboratory-confirmed positive tests for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Five of these are counted on MDH’s website, which is updated daily at 11 a.m. based upon data available at 4 p.m. the previous day.
All three of the new cases are among men, according to Crow Wing County, although their approximate ages were unavailable Saturday. This means five of the six infected individuals are men and one is a woman. Two of those are hospitalized, and one is a health care worker. One person lives in a congregate living setting. Ages of those affected range from 20s to 80s.
While these cases have been confirmed, state health officials have repeatedly warned MDH’s statistics are likely a severe undercount of actual case numbers in the state and residents should assume the disease is present in all Minnesota communities.
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.
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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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