We have been heartened by the drop in COVID-19 cases in Minnesota and Brown County during the past month and a half. The daily count of new cases has been seemingly stuck, with one or two new cases every couple of days. It is good to see people feeling comfortable going without a face mask, thanks to their vaccinations.

But there is still reason to be cautious, especially in light of nationwide statistics. There continue to be hot spots, places where people have been resistant to getting vaccinations, and are falling victim to the new variants like the delta variant that is spreading quickly across the country.

One thing is clear, the numbers are increasing in areas where vaccinations have not been plentiful. We would urge any of our readers who have not received a vaccination to do so soon. Brown County Public Health continues to offer vaccination clinics and community events to make it easy. There’s no cost, and the benefits are huge. Those who have questions should contact their physician, or Brown County Public Health, to get the answers.