It's not hard to figure out why the St. Cloud Metro Area is considered to be one of the most dangerous locations in America for Covid-19 considering what our area has to offer.

With our intertwining counties and cities, we have a large number of colleges, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, bars, and restaurants, because we have many places where large groups of people can gather, it's no wonder we are considered to be at the top of the Covid-19 risk list.

According to 24/7 Wallstreet, at the time this report was released, Benton County had the largest count of Covid-19 cases. As of October 21st, 2021, there were over 18,500 cases per 100,000 residents in Benton County.

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Stearns County had approximately 17,800 per 100,000 residents, the least of any county in the St. Cloud Metro area.

Unfortunately, cases of COVID-19 continue to rise at a steady pace. With 724,000 Covid-19 related deaths in the United States, we have the highest death toll of any country.

New data shows that no matter where you are in the United States, the risks of catching COVID-19 are high. It makes sense that cities are the biggest spreaders of COVID-19 as there are obviously more people.

Counties in Minnesota where the virus is currently increasing, include:

  • Aitken
  • Anoka
  • Blue Earth
  • Carlton
  • Carver
  • Cass
  • Chippewa
  • Chisago

Minnesota counties where the virus is currently decreasing, include:

  • Becker
  • Beltrami
  • Clearwater
  • Crow Wing
  • Houston
  • Hubbard
  • Koochiching
  • Lake

Things seem to be saying close to the same for counties including Benton, Big Stone, Brown, Cook, Cottonwood, Dodge, Douglas, and Faribault.

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Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

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