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St. Louis County Adds COVID-19 Cases Faster Than Any Other County In MN

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/WCCO) - St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota this week has added new COVID-19 cases faster than any other county in the state.

Health officials say that of the 475 cases on St. Louis County as of Wednesday, more than half were confirmed in July. The virus has been detected throughout the state's largest county geographically, but about three-fourths of the cases came from Duluth.

MORE: Minnesota Department of Health's COVID-19 Situation Update

While nursing homes were hit hard by COVID-19 in the spring and early summer, now nearly one-third of those infected in the county are in their 20s.

The county's public health director Amy Westbrook says about 40% of those testing positive say they've attended restaurants or bars during the period they were likely exposed to the virus.

As the state's case positivity rate surpassed 5% on Wednesday, officials warned that the biggest concern for outbreaks remains any event where there is a gathering of people, like bars. They have also seen cluster outbreaks from family gatherings and concerts.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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