Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As of Tuesday, Mower County has had 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Minnesota Department of Health initially stated on Monday that Mower County had  25 confirmed cases of COVID-19; however, the MDH listed only 23 on Tuesday. Mower County Health and Human Services Division Manager Pam Kellogg said this was because one case was accidentally removed from the count and would be added back on Wednesday, while another case from an individual with a Freeborn County address was wrongly attributed to Mower County.

“The most recent cases appear to be community spread; however, some data is missing because some of the infected people have not been interviewed by the Minnesota Department of Health yet,” Kellogg said.

Of those 24 cases, three required hospitalization while 14 are no longer in isolation.

Statewide, the number of confirmed cases Monday morning was 1,695. One-hundred ninety-four cases were confirmed on Easter Sunday, the largest single day increase since Minnesota’s first case was reported on March 6.

To date, 79 people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota as of Tuesday morning.

HHS seeking face mask donations

Those looking to help Mower County Health and Human Services employees can do so by donating face masks. The county put out a request for face mask donations last week.

“Health and Human Services has not received any donated face masks other than from a retired social worker who had worked for us,” Kellogg said. “Our Emergency Operation Center would gladly accept donations.”

Those interested in donating can call 507-396-8227.