MARSHALL — There hasn’t been one definite explanation as to why numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases have been going up among Lyon County residents, public health officials said this week.

There’s likely increased spread of coronavirus in the community, according to Southwest Health and Human Services. But at the same time, more people are also being tested for COVID-19.

Spokespeople for Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center said this week that close to 1,200 people had samples collected for COVID-19 testing in Marshall since late March. While not all of the people who get tested in Marshall are from Lyon County, Avera Marshall has seen the number of people being tested go up over time.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Lyon County residents has increased sharply over the past two weeks. On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health reported that the total number of cases for Lyon County is now at 183 — compared to a total of 56 cases on June 1.

Earlier this week, the spike in cases prompted local governments, SWHHS and Avera Marshall to urge area residents to follow safety practices like social distancing and hand-washing.

“The virus transmission remains highly contagious. How we respond with our actions can help reduce that transmission,” said Dr. Steve Meister, of Avera Medical Group and SWHHS chief medical officer.

Health officials said that increased community spread, businesses re-opening and increased testing may all be factors in the bigger numbers of COVID-19 cases being confirmed in our area.

While Avera Marshall wasn’t able to provide specifics on how quickly COVID-19 testing has increased in the area, Avera Marshall Regional President and CEO Mary Maertens said this week that the numbers of people being tested have gone up since March.

Avera Marshall started offering drive-up sample collection on March 17, although some COVID-19 samples are also collected through the hospital’s Emergency Department. Between late March and June 9, there were 1,199 people who had samples collected for COVID-19 testing. Maertens stressed that people who have samples collected for testing in Marshall aren’t necessarily residents of Marshall or Lyon County.

The Minnesota Department of Health says there have been about 395,202 COVID-19 tests completed statewide since March 28.

Maertens said Avera Marshall is now able to process samples for COVID-19 testing locally, although tests can also be done through the Avera Health system, the Mayo Clinic, or the Minnesota Department of Health. Processing samples locally means doctors and patients are able to get COVID-19 test results more quickly.

In the past couple of weeks, Avera Marshall has also started offering voluntary COVID-19 testing for residents and staff at the Morningside Heights care center. Because it’s possible to spread coronavirus without having symptoms of COVID-19, the testing can help identify if a resident or a staff member may need to be isolated. At this point, MDH recommendations are to offer weekly testing for long-term care residents and staff, Maertens said.

The MDH reports the names of congregate care facilities where one or more people have been exposed to COVID-19. So far, no facilities in Lyon County have been named. However, the MDH says it doesn’t list care facilities with fewer than 10 residents.

Avera Marshall spokespeople said the hospital is continuing to be vigilant about COVID-19, even as it eases some of the visitor restrictions that were put in place this spring. Starting Monday, hospitalized patients were able to have one visitor per day, and obstetrics patients could have one support person come with them to clinic appointments. Patients and visitors are still required to wear masks, and are screened for temperature and COVID-19 symptoms before entering the building.

Maertens said Avera Marshall is “trying to strike the balance” of following best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while acknowledging that loved ones can play an important part in patients’ health care.

“The health and safety of our patients and our employees continues to be our highest priority. We know visitation is very important in the healing and recovery process,” Meister said. “Because COVID-19 is still present in our population, we are taking additional measures toward ensuring the safety of our facilities,” Meister said.

Avera Marshall still has separate clinic spaces for people with and without respiratory symptoms, and is following social distancing guidelines.