B-B-E zip codes post a zero yet again

The April 7 report by the Minnesota Department of Health continued the trend of no new COVID-19 cases being reported in the zip code areas of Belgrade, Brooten and Elrosa. A zero was reported for this zip code area in the March 31 MDH report. The March 24 and March 17 MDH reports each posted just one new case each time. This means that since approximately March 10, the B-B-E zip code population of about 4,300 men, women and children have seen just two COVID-19 cases reported by public health authorities. This all occurred exactly at a time when large swaths of the B-B-E community were traveling far and wide in support of B-B-E wrestling and basketball teams throughout the entire month of March. In addition, band and choir students and adult chaperones traveled to Florida in the final week of March. B-B-E school’s COVID dashboard has shown all zeros since March 9.

In the April 7 report, three new cases were reported in the Glenwood 56334 zip code, while last week the Glenwood zip code posted zero new cases and one new case in the March 24 report.

Across the past three weeks, multiple zip code areas in west central Minnesota have had zero COVID-19 cases reported by the MDH. The list is too long to mention in this web article, although some are mentioned below.

Area zip code COVID-19 increases by zip code:

Willmar - 3 new cases (6 last week)

Benson - 1 new case (none last week or the week before that)

Clara City - no new cases (none last week)

Hancock - no new cases (none last week or the week before that)

Kandiyohi - no new cases (2 last week)

Kerkhoven - 2 new cases (1 last week)

Maynard - no new cases (1 last week)

Morris - 2 new cases (5 last week)

Murdock - no new cases (none last week or the week before that)

Pennock - 1 new case (none last week)

Raymond - no new cases (none last week)

Spicer - 1 new case (none last week)

Sunburg - no new cases (none last week or the week before that)

Alexandria - 10 new cases (7 last week)

Glenwood - 3 new cases (none last week and one in the March 24 MDH report)

Melrose - 2 new cases (none last week)

Osakis - 3 new cases (1 last week)

Paynesville - 1 new case (1 last week)

Sauk Centre - 2 new cases (3 last week)

Starbuck - no new cases (2 last week)

Villard - no new cases (none last week or the week before that).

The subtotal for cumulative new cases in the above-mentioned zip codes is just 30 cases for a one-week period. This is in a population of over 100,000 people. The zip codes of Willmar and Alexandria include over 50,000 people.