Covid cases are up

Positive Covid-19 cases are on the rise statewide and in Carlton County, with 286 cumulative positive cases reported Wednesday, Sept. 30, up 40 from the week before. That follows an increase of 27 over the previous week, which was triple the number of new cases from the week before that.

Meanwhile, the 14-day rate per 10,000 people reported by the Minnesota Department of Education was 6.75 last Thursday, but the reports lag behind real-time infections by about two weeks, school officials acknowledge. So while the 6.75 number allows schools to stay with in-person learning for now, the relatively large increases in positive cases here will likely show up in the numbers over the next two weeks. Some Carlton County school districts have already switched to hybrid and distance learning models.

Carlton County has still reported only one death from the virus since March.

Anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19 or who has been exposed to someone they think may have the disease is encouraged to seek testing. Symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, or loss of taste or smell. Other less common symptoms include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after you are exposed to the virus that causes Covid-19.

Not everyone with Covid-19 has all of these symptoms, and some people may not have any symptoms. Talk to your health care provider if you have questions or concerns about symptoms.

Local testing sites include CMH Raiter Clinic, Min No Aya Win Human Services Center, MedExpress Urgent Care in Cloquet, Gateway Family Clinic in Moose Lake and Cromwell Medical Clinic. There is also a free saliva testing site at the DECC in Duluth.

Cloquet’s Evergreen Knoll and Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton are both on the list for senior facilities in Carlton County that have had or have Covid exposure. Exposure is defined as a person diagnosed with Covid who either visited, worked, or lived at a congregate care facility while they were contagious. It doesn’t necessarily mean that any residents were infected with the coronavirus.