No COVID-19-related deaths in Cook County

Although there has been a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Cook County, with an April 13 update reporting eight new cases, there have been no deaths in Cook County.

As of April 13, there have been 166 cases among local residents since the beginning of the pandemic, according to local public health officials in Cook County. That information is updated each week on Thursday, so that is the latest county-specific data available.

Any North Shore residents who follow the COVID-19 reports in the Duluth News-Tribune would undoubtedly have been alarmed to see the report of two deaths in Cook County this week. The COVID-19 update read:

Six COVID-19-related deaths were reported in the Northland on Thursday, the most deaths reported in a single day in the region since Feb. 6. Douglas County, Wisconsin, and Cook County, Minnesota, each reported two deaths, while Carlton and St. Louis counties in Minnesota each had one death.

WTIP reached out to Cook County Public Health Supervisor Grace Grinager to ask if this was correct. Grinager told WTIP she believed the information was incorrect and immediately reached out to the Minnesota Department of Health to confirm. After speaking with MDH, Grinager told WTIP that there have been no deaths recorded from the coronavirus in Cook County.

WTIP also reached out to the reporter at the Duluth News-Tribune. The reporter confirmed that the report was incorrect. The reporter said the error was due to “reading the data sheet wrong.” Two deaths were actually recorded for Itasca County.

The Duluth News-Tribune reporter said a correction would be made in the online article, with a notation that the original data on Cook County was incorrect.

Anyone with questions about the coronavirus in Cook County may find information on the Cook County COVID-19 online hub and a phone line at 218-387-3668. This phone is staffed 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to address general questions from the public.

Rhonda Silence May 14, 2021