Two Carlton County residents recently died from COVID-19.
The people were between ages 85 and 89 and 90 and 94, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Seven Carlton County residents have now died from the illness.
Minnesota reported 56 deaths and Wisconsin reported 62. None of the other deaths were recorded in the Northland.
Bayfield and Itasca counties each logged new daily highs for coronavirus infections. Itasca County recorded 57 more residents who tested positive, nearly 20 more than its previous record Nov. 6. In the last seven days, Itasca County has had an average of 34 new cases a day.
Bayfield County slightly passed its previous high from Nov. 4 by recording 26 new infections Wednesday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The county had a seven-day average of 14.9 new cases a day.
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Hospitalizations
Greg Ruberg, president and CEO of Lake View Hospital and Medical Clinic in Two Harbors, stressed in a Lake County news release the importance of everyone doing their part to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The state department of health reported on Monday that 90% of critical care beds in Northeastern Minnesota were in use, with 11 beds available.
"While you may not need a hospital bed for a COVID-19 infection, you or a family member may need one for some other serious and unexpected medical condition," Ruberg said. "If we all do our part, this will increase the chance that a valuable hospital bed and staff will be available should you or I need one."
Lake View, which is part of the St. Luke's system, is working with St. Luke's hospital in Duluth to accept its general medical patients, Ruberg said. The Two Harbors hospital can then ensure that beds can be available for Lake View patients who need to transfer to Duluth for heart attacks, strokes or trauma.
St. Louis County hospitals, which continue to experience record-high numbers of hospitalizations, had 27 admissions from COVID-19 patients during the seven-day period between Nov. 3-9, according to the county's COVID-19 dashboard.
Those between ages 75 and 79 make up the highest percentage (14.3%) of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 the county since the pandemic began.
St. Louis County recorded 160 more people who recently tested positive.
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Of those people, 25 (15.6%) are between ages 20 and 24 and 11 (6.9%) are between ages 25 and 29.
Those in their 50s made up 32 (20%) of Wednesday's cases, while those in theirs 30s made up 31 (19%) of Wednesday's cases. Twenty-five people were 60 or older. Seven people were between ages 0 and 14 and 11 people were between 15 and 19.
St. Louis County has had an average of 133 new cases in the last seven days.
New cases and seven-day averages in other Northland counties:
- Aitkin: 20; 16.3.
- Carlton: 30; 35.3.
- Cook: zero; 0.9.
- Koochiching: 8; 5.4.
- Lake: 4; 4.6.
- Douglas: 47; 30.1.
- Ashland: 11; 14.6.
- Bayfield: 26; 14.9.
Minnesota reported 4,900 new infections Wednesday and Wisconsin reported 7,048. Completed diagnostic tests in Minnesota were up by 34,044 and Wisconsin they were up by 17,472.
Minnesota's single-day testing positivity rate — the percentage of positive tests out of the newly completed tests — was 14.4% and Wisconsin's was 40.3%. Health experts consider 5% and higher to be "too high."
