Tuesday, July 7
- MN daily COVID-19 case count highest in a month
- St. Louis County reports largest single-day increase to date
- State testing capacity is up 14.9% in past week
- Minnesota stands at five new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents
- Median age of cases continues to decline, now at 38.4
11:54 a.m.
St. Louis County reported 15 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, its largest single-day increase yet.
According to the county's communications manager, Dana Kazel, the newest cases range from children to late 70s, with nine of them under the age of 30.
None of the cases are connected to an outbreak in a congregate living setting, as has been the case for every other "significant increase." The county is reminding people to stay home as much as possible, wear a mask, stay 6 feet away from others in public, and practice good hygiene.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 569 newly reported COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest number in over a month.
No data was reported for July 4, which could have impacted the number of positive cases identified in the days following. However, the 569 new cases were reported from a comparatively low testing volume of 5,936 on Monday.
MDH also reported three new deaths on Tuesday, bringing the death toll since the pandemic began to 1,477.
Two hundred sixty-seven people are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 121 of them in the ICU. Hospitalization numbers have been fairly steady or declining in recent weeks, although Tuesday's numbers represent a rise over Monday's.
The number of cases among people ages 20-29 continues to increase, with 8,665 reported as of Tuesday. People in their 20s make up the age group with the most cases, followed by those in their 30s with 7,549. Minnesotans ages 80-89 have seen the most deaths of any age group, with 507 COVID-related deaths out of only 1,611 cases.
Monday, July 6
2 p.m.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the state continues to increase its testing capacity, with a 14.9% increase in the number of tests in the past week. The state is also increasing its threshold for testing from 50 tests per 10,000 people up to 100 tests per 10,000 people. The state was already testing above that threshold for the past three weeks, Malcolm said.
Malcolm announced the state is also adding a new tracking metric to help guide reopening decisions, which looks at the number of cases per 100,000 people, with the state's threshold at five new cases per 100,000 residents.
Malcolm said the median age of cases continues to decline, now at 38.4 years old, compared to 41.5 at the beginning of June.
COVID-19-related death rates have declined into the single digits daily in Minnesota recently. Health officials cite a few factors including the lower average age of positive cases, while also crediting improvements in treatments and improvements in care and prevention in long-term care facilities.
Malcolm said they've seen "significant improvements" in the number of assisted living and nursing homes reporting new cases, as well as stabilization of case numbers in those facilities which have had outbreaks, with no new cases in 80-percent of those skilled nursing (nursing home) facilities in at least one week.
Commissioner Malcolm said health officials will be watching test results closely following holiday gatherings over the July Fourth weekend, with any potential impact reflected in test results over the next three weeks. However, Malcolm said it's encouraging that many of the holiday gatherings were outdoors.
State epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield continued to encourage Minnesotans to wear a mask in public settings, in addition to other safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, like social distancing and hand washing.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is reporting 434 new cases of COVID-19 in the state Monday, bringing the statewide total to 38,569 since the pandemic began.
The daily MDH report also showed three additional deaths from COVID-19, for a total of 1,474 deaths. Of that number, MDH said 1,156 involved cases in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Testing numbers were down because of the holiday weekend, with 5,677 tests reported yesterday. The state had averaged more than 14,000 daily tests for the previous three days.
MDH also reported 258 patients are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 125 of those cases in the ICU.
The report shows 33,907 coronavirus patients have recovered to the point of no longer needing isolation.
Hennepin County is reporting the largest number of cases in Minnesota, with 12,456 cases and 787 deaths. Ramsey County follows with 4,911 cases and 228 deaths.
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The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.