MARSHALL — The Minnesota Department of Health reported Lyon County’s first death due to COVID-19 on Tuesday.

A Lyon County resident, age in the 70s, was one of 22 new deaths reported in Minnesota that day, according to the MDH.

Southwest Minnesota Health and Human Services was notified of the death by the MDH on Monday, SWHHS said in a news release.

“SWHHS expresses our deepest sympathies to the family and friends for their loss,” SWHHS officials said in the release.

SWHHS can’t share private data, like addresses or other identifying information, about people who test positive for COVID-19. But while details on the individual who died weren’t being made available, the MDH said the person was between the ages of 70 and 79.

The tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lyon County has also risen to a total of 65, the MDH reported Tuesday.

“We know that seeing the numbers rise can be very concerning. While there will be many people with mild symptoms, news like this reminds us that this virus can be severe for some,” SWHHS said Tuesday.

Public health officials urge area residents to keep following state health guidelines for COVID-19, like avoiding enclosed spaces with groups of people, washing your hands often, wearing a mask in public and covering coughs and sneezes.

“We would like to reiterate that there are likely many more cases than we are aware of in our communities,” said Ann Orren, community public health supervisor with SWHHS. “Not everyone that has COVID-19 is being tested. It is vitally important for our community members to remain vigilant and follow the guidelines set by MDH, especially if they are at high risk.”

Statewide, there have been 25,508 positive cases of COVID-19, the MDH reports. Of that total, 537 people are currently hospitalized, with 248 in intensive care. More than 20,000 people no longer need to be isolated. There have been 1,072 COVID-19 deaths reported in Minnesota.

While the MDH and SWHHS have not been releasing identifying information about Lyon County residents who test positive for COVID-19, over the past few months there have been times when COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in area communities:

• On Tuesday, a Schwan’s spokesperson confirmed that there have been “recent isolated cases” of employees at Marshall production facilities being diagnosed with COVID-19. Chuck Blomberg, communications manager for Schwan’s Shared Services, said Schwan’s notifies anyone at its facilities who may have been in close contact with those individuals. Schwan’s procedures also include increased cleaning and disinfection, screening everyone entering the facilities, and providing employees with protective equipment like masks and gloves.

“As we work through this pandemic, we feel fortunate in that we have had a limited number of cases at our production facilities in Marshall,” Blomberg said Tuesday. “We are proud of and thankful for the people in our Marshall manufacturing facilities, who have continued to work safely and minimize the impact on our ability to provide food to our customers and families throughout America.”

• In late March, Schwan’s had also confirmed that an employee at the company’s building on West College Drive had tested positive for COVID-19. At that time, the employee had gone into quarantine, and had not worked from the building since March 18. The majority of employees at the West College Drive office have worked from home since March 19, Blomberg said.

• On Monday, the Tracy Liquor Store posted on its Facebook page that a person who had been present in the store had tested positive for COVID-19. The store asked anyone who had been in the liquor store or had contact with liquor store employees since May 15 to “take any appropriate precautions.”

• In May, the Minneota Mascot reported that a priest serving the Good Teacher Area Faith Community, which includes Catholic churches in Dawson, Canby, St. Leo, Minneota and Ghent, had tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. The priest had been ill in February, and because he was in a high-risk group, he went into self-quarantine starting in March, the Mascot reported.

• On May 5, Turkey Valley Farms confirmed that one of its employees had tested positive for COVID-19, and had gone into quarantine with their family. Turkey Valley spokespeople said the Marshall turkey plant had increased its sanitization efforts, and was taking precautions including requiring employees to wear face masks, and taking employees’ temperatures before they enter the plant.

• In March, Lac qui Parle County reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19. After that, the Dawson-Boyd School District posted on Facebook that it was investigating whether people related to the school district may have had contact with that person.

• In March, a Tyler woman tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a trip to Ireland, the Balaton Press-Tribune newspaper reported. She has recovered since then.

• On Tuesday, a Walmart spokesperson said the company has had positive cases of COVID-19 in its store employees, but would not confirm whether any employees at the Marshall Walmart location had tested positive. Rebecca Thomason, senior manager of corporate communications at Walmart, said the company was leaving it to public health officials to confirm individual cases of COVID-19. Thomason said Walmart stores are taking steps to encourage social distancing, and are taking precautionary measures like screening employees’ temperatures and requiring employees to wear masks.