MARSHALL — A three-day COVID-19 testing event in Marshall last week drew close to 800 participants, organizers said.

While the total was smaller than that at a testing event held in June, local organizers said they were “satisfied” with the turnout.

“It’s part of the comprehensive approach needed to manage the spread and keep our businesses and schools open,” said Carol Biren, public health director for Southwest Health and Human Services.

The testing event was held Sept. 30 through Oct. 1 at the Red Baron Arena and Expo as part of a series of free COVID-19 testing events around Minnesota. Over those three days, a total of 793 people were tested, said Katie Knutson, incident commander for the Marshall event. A total of 42 people tested at the event were found positive for COVID-19, Knutson said.

That meant roughly 5% of the people tested were positive for COVID-19.

In comparison to last week’s event, a drive-up testing event held in Marshall in June performed a total of 1,019 COVID-19 tests on area residents. At the June event, only 32 people, or about 3% of those tested, were positive for the virus.

Knutson said it’s possible that the number of positive cases from last week’s testing event might not yet be reflected in the Minnesota Department of Health’s COVID-19 data for Lyon County. It’s also important to remember that the people who tested positive might not all be residents of Lyon County. When the data is released by the MDH, the results might be split up into different counties’ COVID-19 totals.

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Health reported seven new cases of COVID-19 among Lyon County residents, bringing the county’s cumulative total to 791 cases. There have been four COVID-19 deaths reported in Lyon County.

Statewide, a total of 8,020 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, the MDH said. Of those people, 2,212 are in intensive care.

Biren said community testing is only one part of local response to slow the spread of COVID-19. It’s also important for people to follow other safety guidelines, like wearing face masks, washing hands, keeping a six-foot social distance and avoiding large gatherings.