ST PAUL, Minn. — Friday, June 18
- US-Canada border restrictions to stay in place until July 21
- CDC expects Delta COVID variant to become dominant strain in U.S.
- Another death in 20 to 24 age group
- Full FDA approval may prove key to continuing vaccination effort
- Novavax study shows its shot is highly effective against COVID
Data shared by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Friday shows a second day of new cases that reach into triple digits.
Health officials say 115 new infections were recorded in the past day, bringing Minnesota's total to 604,291 since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. The new cases are based on 13,941 tests (10,982 PCR, 2,959 antigen) processed in private and state labs. That is fairly low testing volume for late week reporting.
MDH considers a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
Hennepin County has documented the most COVID activity with 124,892 cases and 1,775 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 52,491 cases and 895 deaths, Dakota County with 46,818 cases and 470 deaths, and Anoka County with 42,758 cases and 458 fatalities.
Four more people have perished due to COVID, bringing Minnesota's total fatalities to 7,531. The state says those deaths occurred in Hennepin, Redwood, St. Louis and Todd Counties. MDH says 4,460 (59%) of those who have died from the virus are associated with long-term care or assisted living facilities. The largest single grouping of fatalities involves those ages 85 to 89, with 1,356 deaths in just 6,764 diagnosed cases.
COVID-related hospitalizations are down with 132 people currently being treated for the virus on an inpatient basis as of Thursday, 41 requiring care in the ICU. Total hospitalizations since the pandemic began now stand at 32,500, with 6,596 needing ICU care.
The share of Minnesotans ages 16 and above who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines is at 66.1% (3,014,795 people) as of Wednesday, a percentage that is growing by only about one-tenth percent per day in recent weeks. MDH says 2,799,918 people have completed their COVID shot sequence and are considered completely vaccinated.
While on the vaccination front, Canada’s public safety minister said Friday that border restrictions on nonessential travel with the United States will be extended until at least July 21. At this time just 20% of Canada's population is fully vaccinated, but officials say promised shipments of vaccine should allow them to bump that percentage to 80% by the end of July.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, has said she would like to see 75% of eligible Canada residents fully vaccinated before advising that border restrictions be loosened for tourists and business travelers who aren’t citizens or permanent residents.
Thursday, June 17
11 a.m.
New Minnesota COVID cases jumped in the last 24-hour reporting period, moving well past the 100 mark after two consecutive days in double digits.
Data released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Thursday shows 142 new infections, bringing the state case total to 604,184 since the pandemic started. The new recorded cases are based on results from 15,518 processed tests (12,330 PCR, 3,188 antigen), a relatively moderate volume.
MDH considers a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
The state's four most populous counties have recorded the most COVID activity, with Hennepin County documenting 124,863 cases and 1,774 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 52,480 cases and 895 deaths, Dakota County with 46,804 cases and 470 deaths, and Anoka County with 42,746 cases and 458 fatalities.
Young adults between ages 20 and 24 account for the latest grouping of cases with 58,352, and MDH is reporting an additional COVID-related death in this age group, bringing the total to five.
People between 85 and 89 have experienced the most deaths from the virus with 1,356 in just 6,763 diagnosed cases.
Another four deaths from COVID were reported in the past day, bringing total fatalities to 7,527.
Hospitalizations remain fairly steady with 152 people being treated for COVID on an inpatient basis as of Wednesday, 44 of them in ICU. In total, 32,483 people have been hospitalized with the virus since March of 2020.
Nearly 62% of Minnesotans ages 16 and older (2,787,532) have completed the COVID shot series and are considered fully vaccinated. The number of residents who have received at least one immunization is now at 3,010,116, reflecting 66% of those 16-plus. If the rate of vaccinations remains steady, it appears unlikely that a goal of having 70% of Minnesota's eligible population partially vaccinated by July 4 will be met.
In total, 5,561,729 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered
