The latest data for Carlton County show the number of Covid cases is still going up, but at a lower rate, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases in Carlton County increased by 84 from Sept. 15 to 22, but the CDC showed a decline in the rise of case numbers of nearly 7.6 percent on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

The CDC also reported Carlton County’s rate of tests coming back positive at 4.4 percent (compared to an average of 6 percent statewide), one new hospital admission and zero deaths from Covid over the past seven days.

At the same time, the most recent weekly case rate reported by the Minnesota Department of Health for Carlton County was at 15.2 for the week ending Sept. 4, up from 10.1 the week before. Earlier this week, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reported that Fond du Lac’s positivity rate had increased from 15.4 percent to 17.6 percent since last week. All after-school activities were canceled earlier in the week, including a Tuesday volleyball game against Wrenshall, which has faced its own struggles with Covid, leading to a canceled football game last week.

According to the CDC, because community transmission is high here, everyone in Carlton County should wear a mask in public, indoor settings. Individual businesses and schools have different masking requirements.