Current Situation/Press Releases

Current Situation

Not all cases of COVID-19 are tested. The Minnesota Department of Health posts, by county, current lab confirmed cases on its website. There are lab confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Rice County.
The first case in the United States was announced on January 21, 2020. A map of the current number of cases by state is maintained by the CDC.
Health officials confirmed the first case in Minnesota on March 6, 2020.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Rice County was on March 18^th, 2020.
Local public health does not have authority to share private health data, which includes the address of those who test positive with COVID-19, or any other identifying information. Such sharing is a violation of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minn. Stat.13.09 (a) and (b).

Rice County COVID-19 Case Data

Total cumulative cases since March 2020: 1,325
Cases no longer needing isolation (Weekly MDH report on Thursdays): 1,263
New cases reported since previous day: 8
Age Range: 3 months - 97 years (Average age 37 years old)
Female: 563 Male: 762
Ever hospitalized: 57 of 1,325 cases (Ages 3 months - 91 years. Average age 52 years old)
Need for ICU: 13 of 57 hospitalized (Ages 3 months - 91 years. Average age 52 years old)
Living Setting Type: Private Residence 946; Prison 206; Unknown 141; College 20; Group Home/Long Term Care 12
Case Zip Code Address: Faribault: 1002; Northfield: 231; Lonsdale: 37; Morristown: 18; Webster 14; Other: 23 (Please note - Data for zip codes within Rice County. Community transmission occurring throughout Minnesota)
Deaths: 8 (Average age 65.5 years old)

*Last Updated: September 24, 2020

*Rice County Case Information updated Monday through Friday on this web page. Weekend updates can be found on the MDH site at: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/situation.html

Additional Weekly Data Updates - Thursdays

Rice County 14 - Day Case Rate per 10,000 People

The Minnesota Departments of Education and Health put together guidance for local school districts and charter schools to help guide their decisions about which learning model to use to start the school year. In addition, the governor's office publishes a weekly report with the 14-day case rate by county for use by school districts in developing their plans for Fall 2020. It is updated on Thursdays and can be accessed here Rice County Schools Rice County Schools Rice County Schools Rice County Schools Rice County Schools Rice County Schools. Rice County Public Health is calculating the 14-day case rate using more recent data. This rate, because it is more recent, is preliminary and may change as case and contact investigations continue.

Recommended policy options based on 14-day case rate range

Policy Option	Range (14-day case rate per 10,000 people)	Rice County’s 14-day case rate per 10,000 people for the time period September 6 - September 19 2020 11.56
In-person learning for all	0 to less than 10
Elementary in-person, Middle/HS hybrid	10 to less than 20
Both hybrid	20 to less than 30
Elementary hybrid, Middle/HS distance	30 to less than 50
Both distance	50 or more