As front line health care workers are the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Minnesota resdients are urged to keeping working to fight the community spread of COVID-19, which they points out “isn’t taking a holiday.”

In Washington County, as of Sunday, there have been 17,912 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Public health COVID-dashboard.

Of those cases, 174 have died, and the median age of the deceased is 82. A total of 789 peopl have required hospitalization, and 173 of those were in intensive care.

Daily cases are starting to dip, but experts fear holiday gathering will cause another spike in cases.

The most recent data shows an average of about 100 cases per day reported in the last week, down from the high-water mark of 450 on Nov. 29, following Thanksgiving.

Cottage Grove has the second-most overall cases in Washington County, with a total of 2,518 reported. Woodbury has the most with 4,361.

Minnesota residents are invited to take an at-home COVID-19 saliva test. Tests are free of charge and can be ordered at learn.vaulthealth.com. Results are available in 24-28 hours after the test is received at the lab.

No holiday for COVID-19 “For eight months, our healthcare heroes have been caring for our communities,” said Rahul Koranne, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Minnesota Hospital Association. “Our hospitals are full and we expect them to get fuller as the number of cases increase. Our healthcare heroes – the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, lab workers, aides, environmental services personnel and more – are asking you to support them by wearing a mask, physically distancing, washing your hands and laying low. They are no longer the front line against COVID-19. They are the last line of defense – the last chance for an infected Minnesotan who needs hospitalization. The public is the front line.”

“We are extremely concerned about the trajectory of the community spread,” said Koranne. “Our healthcare systems have thousands of care team members out with COVID, caring for a family member with COVID or home quarantining because they have been exposed in the community. Our hospitals care for not just patients with COIVD but other Minnesotans with trauma and illness. We urge Minnesotans to come together with grit and resolve in the next few weeks with a unified goal to reduce community transmission and protect our healthcare workers so they can remain at work and help save lives.”