Facing uptick in COVID cases, county public health staff encouraging latest vaccines

Public health workers in Scott and Le Sueur counties are encouraging people who haven’t recently been vaccinated to consider receiving the latest vaccines aimed at minimizing the impacts of COVID and fighting its spread.

With children returning to school and after a summer where social distancing and mask usage was largely not practiced, the Centers for Disease Control and Minnesota Department of Health is seeing an increases in reported cases statewide. For example, the Minnesota Department of health saw significant increases in reported cases for adults in their 40s increase from 13.2 cases per 100,000 people in July to 38.4 cases per 100,000 people in August, said Jodi Leraas, a supervisor in Scott County Public Health. In school-age children, the number of cases increased from 3.7 per 100,000 people in July to 10.6 cases per 100,000 people in August.

Meagan Kirby, the director of Le Sueur County Public Health noted the numbers are likely a bit low since people can test themselves at home and the state may not necessarily know of the results.

Kirby and Leraas are encouraging people who have not received the latest vaccine to speak with their doctor and consider receiving it. They said there is currently not a mandate for the vaccine or masking and the state’s reported case rate is low.

The Minnesota Department of Health via its website is recommending...

To see more on this story pick up the September 21, 2023 print edition of The New Prague Times, Montgomery Messenger or LifeEnterprise.