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Mower County reported a rise of 10 more cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, reflected in the latest Minnesota Department of Health’s report, bringing the total number of cases since March 19 to 661.

Statewide, 197 newly reported cases were added to the books with nine more new deaths related to the coronavirus. To date there have been 30,882 positive cases since early March when the state started keeping track.

There are 357 currently requiring hospitalization with 185 people needing ICU care.

The news comes as health officials on a national level are warning of a possible second wave coming in September combined with the threat of flu season. However, there was also hope coming from a report out of England that Dexamethasone, a steroid, helped reduce deaths by up to one-third in severely ill hospitalized patients, according to the Associated Press.

While health experts say it’s important to see details to know how much the drug actually works, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, was bolstered by the news, the AP story said.

“This is a significant improvement in the available therapeutic options that we have,” Fauci said.