An update on hospitalized Cook County residents as pandemic grinds on

This week public health officials announced that Cook County received notice of its first two hospitalized cases from COVID-19.

According to North Shore Health Hospital Administrator Kimber Wraalstad, one person from Cook County was hospitalized in Duluth and did not have any interaction with the local hospital in Grand Marais. The other person from Cook County who was hospitalized this week due to COVID-19 was treated at North Shore Health and has since been released as their health improved, Wraalstad said.

Meanwhile, the grind of the pandemic is beginning to take its toll on staff at the local hospital.

“People are scared. We’re tired,” Wraalstad said. “I’ve heard tired more tired than anything.”

The pandemic continues to drag on into the winter months, showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, case counts and hospitalizations in Minnesota continue to go up at an alarming rate. For example, Oct. 29 saw another single-day high in Cook County of four new cases and a record of nearly 2,900 cases statewide.

Listen to the audio below to hear more from Wraalstad as she spoke Oct. 30 with WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs.