County COVID-19 cases climbing slowly

The Minnesota Department of Health put the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Carlton at 70 as of Wednesday, May 20, up from 65 a week ago. As has been the case from the beginning, more than half of the positive cases are in the Moose Lake prison. There are 39 inmates who have tested positive at the prison — the MDH counts those — and 31 who are presumed positive, meaning they were not tested but they have been exposed to someone who did test positive and have developed symptoms. Four tests are still pending at the Moose Lake facility, and 77 tests came back negative for the disease.

At the Willow River correctional facility, which is located in Pine County, a total of 69 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, 72 have tested negative and seven are presumed positive.

Thirty-five staff members in Moose Lake and four in Willow River have tested positive for the disease. Lino Lakes is the only other state prison with any confirmed positive inmate cases, with eight.

Statewide, Minnesota was up to 17,670 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases out of 167,338 tests as of Wednesday. There had been 777 deaths, plus nine “probable COVID-19 deaths,” where it was listed on the death certificate but there was not a documented test result. No one has died in Carlton County from the disease, according to MDH numbers reported on Wednesday.