by Tom Coombe
Both in Ely and across the state, Covid-19 case numbers are at their lowest totals since last summer.
Only one area resident tested positive for the virus in the last week, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health.
Across St. Louis County, only 680 cases were recorded in March - the first time the total fell under 1,000 since last July and a fraction of the nearly 10,000 cases noted in January of this year.
Similar numbers have been reported statewide, with the MDH reporting about 3,500 active cases on Thursday after reaching a mid-January peak of more than 65,000.
Covid’s retreat has been dramatic since early-2021 and a spike in cases that health officials say was fueled by the highly contagious - but more mild - Omicron variant.
In Ely, weekly cases have fallen into the single digits since late-February.