Two deaths from COVID-19 in St. Louis County

Two more St. Louis County residents have died from COVID-19.

The individuals were between the ages 85-89 years and 90-94 years, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. They were among 14 new deaths in the state.

In the month of October, the county has recorded 25 of its 67 deaths.

Minnesota and Wisconsin authorities reported Saturday that 119 more people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the 10 counties of the Northland. More than half of those diagnoses, or 63 of them, are St. Louis County residents. In the last seven days the county has recorded an average of about 52 new cases a day.

Saturday's new case update and seven-day average for other counties:

Itasca — 12 new cases, 9.1 cases a day.

Aitkin — 12 new cases, 4.3 new cases a day.

Carlton — 9 new cases, 6.2 new cases a day.

Lake — 3 new cases, 2.14 new cases a day.

Koochiching — 2 new cases, 1.1 new cases a day.

One new resident of Cook County has tested positive, putting the county's total number of cases at 13 now.

Wisconsin:

Douglas — 12 new cases, 9.3 new cases a day.

Bayfield — 4 new cases, 5.1 new cases a day.

Ashland — 1 new case; 6.1 new cases a day.

Statewide, Minnesota reported 2,268 more people who tested positive and Wisconsin reported 4,062 on Saturday.

Completed diagnostic tests were up by 17,620 in Wisconsin, while in Minnesota they were up by 36,488. The single-day testing positivity rates, meaning the percentage of tests that come back positive, were 23.1% and 6.2%, respectively.

The state of Wisconsin reports a 7-day testing positivity average. The latest average was 22.7%.

Twenty-five more Wisconsin residents have died from COVID-19. None of them lived in Northwestern Wisconsin.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported fewer new infections in University of Minnesota Duluth employees and students this week than it did the week prior.

Between Oct. 11-17, the state reported 21 more infections in UMD students and employees compared to 32 the week before. according the university's COVID-19 dashboard. That number includes students who were tested on campus.

Of the 21 people who tested positive, five of them live on campus and public health representatives determined in interviews that a total 11 of them were on campus while infected.

Since Aug. 1, UMD has recorded 291 infections in students and employees. Thirty-nine of those were students living on campus and another 45 were believed to have been on campus while infected.

As of Friday, 8% of UMD's 276 isolation and quarantine beds were in use.

Lake Superior College recorded two more infections in employees and two more in students between Oct. 15-21, according to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities COVID-19 dashboard.

Since Aug. 26, 16 employees and 34 students at LSC have tested positive.

Other Minnesota State colleges updates in the Northland:

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet — First employee case; No new student cases.

Rainy River Community College in International Falls — First employee case; Still no student cases.

Hibbing Community College — 1 new employee case; 2 new student cases.

Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids — No new employee cases; 2 new student cases.

Mesabi Range College in Virginia — 2 new employee cases; 3 new student cases.

The University of Wisconsin-Superior tests all students who live on campus every two weeks. Between Oct. 19-22, during its latest round of testing, 337 students were tested and two of those tests came back positive, according to the UW system's COVID-19 dashboard.

The dashboard does not include cases among employees and students who live off campus.

Since Sept. 28, the university has reported 28 residential students who have tested positive.