Saint Louis County COVID-19 Update

DULUTH, Minn. — The whole nation is turning a corner in the fight against covid-19, and here in the Twin Ports it’s bringing some relief to healthcare workers who were overworked the past few months.

We are still coming down from that surge that happened earlier this year due to the combined omicron and delta variants but those in the healthcare field are feeling a little more encouraged this time around.

As of last Thursday, community levels in St. Louis County were reduced from a high to low after the spike of cases we had in January and February.

Health officials attribute current immunity to the people who were infected during that time or are now vaccinated.

This decline might also be helping overwhelmed health care workers.

Essentials ICU has 45 beds and in January those were all filed with covid patients.

Now only 7 beds are occupied with covid patients which allows beds to open up to other critical patients.

Though this is a turn in the right direction hospital leaders say covid isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

“I think if you look at a lot of the predictions from infectious disease doctors will probably have covid as part of our repertory illness season in the winter next year and going forward, but not in the pandemic type of number that we have experience the last couple of years so that’s what were hopeful for,” Christina Bastin de Jong, Section Chair For Critical Care At Essentia Health said.

Amy Westbrook Saint Louis County Public Health Director says the lowest numbers we’ve had since the start of the pandemic in March of 20-20 were in June and July of 20-21 but she’s encouraged by the decline we’re seeing now.

“It’s a good trend, were about where we were with our numbers since last august, and that was some of our lower points of case rates throughout the entire pandemic, so we’re feeling good about our numbers,” Amy Westbrook, Public Health Division Director For St. Louis County said.

A sign of things taking a turn for the better, The Duluth school district, and Lake Superior college made masks optional on campus last week.

Healthcare workers are saying we should continue to get vaccinated and boosted and be cognizant of those who are in the high risk category.

They also stay home if sick, and of course get tested if you are feeling any of the symptoms.