Rate of new COVID-19 cases continues to fall across west central Minnesota in Thursday's state update The state Department of Health releases a 14-day case rate for the state's counties. The report can be used by school districts along with other factors in deciding the type of instruction model they use. The higher the number, the greater risk of COVID-19 spreading in a community. 12:02 pm, Jan. 7, 2021 × All area counties saw their 14-day COVID-19 case rates decrease from the prior week in Thursday’s report from the Minnesota Department of Health. Case rates have fallen across the state in recent weeks. No county in the state reports a case rate of 200 or higher for the Dec. 13 to 26 period reported in the new report. In the past month, a handful of area counties had rates higher than 200, and Kandiyohi County spent two weeks with the highest case reported in the state.