Nenad Stojkovic, Flickr
Big Stone is the only county in Minnesota that is not considered a COVID-19 access point.
Community transmission rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 86 of the state’s 87 counties with “substantial” or “high” transmission. These are the two most severe categorizations.
The CDC recommends that everyone in areas with substantial or elevated transmission, regardless of vaccination status, wear a face that is covered while in an indoor public space.
Related: Doctor Hennepin Healthcare: Only go to the State Fair “if you’re vaccinated”
It only took a month (when CDC announced its new orientation on July 27) for the state to go from 14 of these transmission points to the current 86.
CDC
At the time, four counties were moving to the most serious high-transmission category.
As of Thursday’s update, all 80 Minnesota counties have a high transmission (red on the map on the right), while six have a substantial transmission (orange).
Big Stone is the lone “moderate” county, and none is within the “low” transmission medium.
Here is a list of the highest counties:
- Aitkin County
- Anoka County
- Becker County
- Beltrami County
- Benton County
- Blue Earth County
- Brown County
- Carlton County
- Carver County
- Cass County
- Chippewa County
- Chisago County
- Clay County
- Clearwater County
- Cook County
- Cottonwood County
- Crow Wing County
- Dakota County
- Dodge County
- Douglas County
- Faribault County
- Fillmore County
- Freeborn County
- Goodhue County
- Grant County
- Hennepin County
- Houston County
- Hubbard County
- Isanti County
- Itasca County
- Jackson County
- Kanabec County
- Kandiyohi County
- Kittson County
- Koochiching County
- Talking Lake County
- Le Sueur County
- County of Lyon
- Mahnomen County
- Marshall County
- Martin County
- McLeod County
- Meeker County
- County of a Thousand Lakes
- Morrison County
- Mower County
- Murray County
- Nicollet County
- County of Nobles
- Norman County
- Olmsted County
- Otter Tail County
- Pennington County
- Pine County
- Pipestone County
- Polk County
- Pope County
- Ramsey County
- Red Lake County
- Redwood County
- Renville County
- Rice County
- Rock County
- Roseau County
- Scott County
- Sherburne County
- Sibley County
- St. Louis County Louis
- Stearns County
- Steele County
- Stevens County
- Swift County
- Todd County
- Wabasha County
- Waseca County
- Washington County
- Watonwan County
- Winona County
- Wright County
- Yellow Medicine County
And here are the important counties:
- Lake County
- Lake of Woods County
- Lincoln County
- Traverse County
- Wadena County
- Wilkin County
Despite being below the peaks observed during the winter of 2020-21, COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations have been in the wrong direction throughout August. Health officials say it has been fed the delta variant, which is more easily transmitted from person to person.
Related: Delta variant among the many problems weighing on Minnesota hospitals
Current vaccines continue to be effective in preventing serious cases of illness, hospitalization or death compared to those who are not vaccinated, although a recent study shows that they are not as effective in preventing infection compared to strains. before the delta.
The United States plans to begin offering booster shots to people vaccinated starting Sept. 20.