BROWN COUNTY — The Minnesota Department of Health reports Brown County COVID-19 cases at 2,030 with 32 deaths as of Jan. 3.

Now surpassing 2,000 labs confirmed cases, over 8% of Brown County residents have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic began. This percentage is in line with other counties in the surrounding area.

In Blue Earth County, 7.5% of the population has contracted COVID. In Redwood, 8.6% of residents have contracted the virus; 8.9% have had COVID in Renville County.

Nicollet County’s COVID statistics are similar to Brown County, with 2,102 positive cases and 32 death, but Nicollet County has an overall higher population. Nicollet County has the lowest percentage of positive cases in the region at 6.1%.

Statewide, 7.5% of Minnesotans have contracted COVID-19. The total positive cases reported in Minnesota is 420,544 with 5,430 deaths.

New case numbers have been dropping in Minnesota since November after Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order closing bars and restaurants for indoor dining. Brown County went from 1,041 COVID-19 cases in November to 584 COVID-19 cases in December. This effectively cut the number of cases in half.

Locally, the number of confirmed cases continues to decrease. Since the new year, Brown County lab-confirmed cases have gone up by 21, a significantly lower average the past two months.