The Minnesota Department of Health reported two new Beltrami County COVID deaths Wednesday.
One resident was in their early 60s and the other was in their late 70s.
Twenty-five new COVID cases were reported in Beltrami County Wednesday.
The CDC’s COVID tracker says while community transmission is still high in Beltrami County, cases are slowly dropping off, with about a nine percent reduction in new cases over the last week.
The tracker also says there has been an over 60 percent reduction in new hospital admissions in the county over the last week.
MDH also reported 20 new COVID cases in Cass County, six new cases in Clearwater County, and eight new cases in Hubbard County Wednesday.
Of the 2,690 new COVID-19 cases reported Thursday, 44 were in Beltrami County, 14 were in Cass County, three were in Clearwater County and 17 were in Hubbard County.
Of the 41 new COVID deaths reported Thursday, one was a Cass County resident in their early 70s.
VACCINES
Booster COVID-19 vaccines are available through Sanford Bemidji and Beltrami County Public Health.
The CDC and FDA approved the “mixing and matching” of different brands of booster doses regardless of the initial brand of vaccine a person received.
Dr. David Wilcox, chief medical officer and family medicine physician at Sanford Health in Bemidji, states, “It is clear that severe COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting those who are unvaccinated. Since the pandemic started 90% of all hospitalized patients at Sanford Health have been unvaccinated. For the critically ill patients requiring ICU and ventilator care, the numbers are even higher at 96% and 98% respectively. If you have not been vaccinated, there is no better time to start than now. For those who have been vaccinated, we are happy to announce the availability of all recommended booster vaccines.”
Booster doses are available for anyone 65 and older, adults with underlying health conditions or people with jobs that put them in higher risk at least six months after their second dose of a Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
For those who received the Johnson & Johnson, anyone over the age of 18 can get a booster at least two months after their initial dose.
Appointments can be made through MySanford Chart or by calling 877-701-0779.
Community members can also schedule a vaccine appointment with Public Health by calling (218)333-8140.
MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm says the state will be ready when the federal government gives the official green light to begin vaccinating children between the ages of 5 and 11.
Pfizer’s vaccine, in a smaller dose, passed key committees last week.
