MARSHALL — Area residents are continuing to sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations, but it hasn’t meant the end of new cases and deaths being reported in Lyon County and the surrounding areas.

The deaths of two area residents, one from Lyon County and one from Yellow Medicine County, were reported by the Minnesota Department of Health in the past five days.

The death of a Lyon County resident in their 80s was reported by the MDH on Sunday. The death of a Yellow Medicine County resident in their 70s was reported on Wednesday.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Lyon County residents is now at 3,161. There have been a total of 47 deaths reported. In Yellow Medicine County, there have been a total of 958 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths.

The number of COVID deaths reported in Lyon County has been going down as more people age 65 and older have been getting vaccinated, said Carol Biren, public health director with Southwest Health and Human Services.

However, she said, “This is not over.”

“We’ve had a few mini-outbreaks in our region,” and the number of new cases being confirmed has crept up over the past few weeks, she said.

Although efforts to get vulnerable people vaccinated against COVID-19 have been going well, it’s still important for the public to follow precautions like washing their hands, following social distancing recommendations and wearing face coverings.