Rock County’s coronavirus cases are spiking along with numbers statewide, and it’s affecting how schools operate and the number of patients seeking medical attention.
The drive-through testing site at Sanford Luverne is seeing an uptick in the number of people seeking to be tested for the coronavirus, according to hospital director Tammy Loosbrock.
Since starting in March, the drive-through has done 2,855 tests in Luverne.
“We average 35 tests per day as of the week ending Nov. 1,” she said. “However, some days are 20 and some are 55. Lately it's been getting a lot busier.”
Loosbrock said lately about 28 percent of tests are coming back positive. Some patients have been admitted and treated with options like remdesivir and convalescent plasma.
“We have been doing the drive up testing since early into this to keep Covid out of the building,” she said.
Testing started in the parking lot, but has now moved to the drive-through ambulance garage to protect workers from the elements as winter weather sets in.
With cases spiking statewide, Gov. Tim Walz Tuesday afternoon announced new steps to stem rising numbers in outstate Minnesota.
Among those will be a requirement that bars and restaurants statewide close at 10 pm. That curfew will also apply to weddings and other receptions.
Also the state is opening 11 new outstate free “no-barrier” test sites similar to the temporary one hosted in Luverne in October.
The Minnesota National Guard will provide support with logistics for each of thesites, which will open on Monday, Nov. 16.
Locations will all be announced later this week. These sites will be open five days a week, through at least the end of the year.
They will replace the pop-up community testing events that have been underway for several weeks, which would come into a community for just 2 to 3 days of testing.
According to public health data, Rock County currently has a COVID positivity rate of greater than 5 percent.
This rate reflects the number of COVID-19 tests that were positive over the total number of tests performed in Rock County during the most recent 14-day period prior to a one week lag period to assure data completeness.
Having a positivity rate above 5 percent means the spread of the virus has reached what the state considers to be a “concerning level.”