ST PAUL, Minn. — Sunday, May 2
- After staying in double digits for five days in a row, Minnesota reports 6 new deaths Sunday
- Nearly 60% of Minnesota's eligible population at least partially vaccinated
- White House: 100 million Americans now fully vaccinated against COVID
- Guidelines relaxed for wearing masks outdoors
- COVID-19 vaccination appointments now available directly through Vaccine Connector
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,713 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, and 6 additional deaths. That total follows five consecutive days with 10 or more new deaths. The total number of fatalities in Minnesota is 7,160.
MDH's COVID-19 case definition includes both antigen testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Positive PCR test results are considered confirmed cases, while positive antigen test results are considered probable cases.
Sunday's new case total includes 1,427 confirmed cases and 286 probable cases.
The total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began is now 579,235, with 39,337 of those as antigen test results.
As for vaccinations, MDH said 2,574,895 people in the state have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine -- about 58.4% of Minnesota's eligible population. Of that group, 1,972,888 are fully vaccinated against the virus. That's about 44.7% of the state's eligible population.
To date, 30,360 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 6,183 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 557,099 people once diagnosed with the virus have passed the point where they are required to isolate.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 56,275 cases and four deaths, and ages 25-29 follow with 51,441 cases and six deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group with 1,320 out of 6,657 diagnosed cases.
Saturday, May 1
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,723 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, and 10 additional deaths.
That marks the fifth day in a row with new deaths staying at 10 or higher. Saturday's total is still lower than the previous four days, which spiked at 22 on Wednesday. The total number of fatalities in Minnesota since the pandemic began is 7,154.
MDH's COVID-19 case definition includes both antigen testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Positive PCR test results are considered confirmed cases, while positive antigen test results are considered probable cases.
Saturday's new case total includes 1,437 confirmed cases and 286 probable cases.
The total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began is now 577,524, with 39,054 of those as antigen test results.
Meanwhile, MDH said 2,556,515 people in the state have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That's about 58.0% of the state's eligible population. Of that group, 1,938,241 are fully vaccinated against the virus - about 43.9% of the state's eligible population.
To date, 30,344 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 6,180 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 555,214 people once diagnosed with the virus have passed the point where they are required to isolate.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 56,109 cases and four deaths, and ages 25-29 follow with 51,297 cases and six deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group with 1,319 out of 6,651 diagnosed cases.
Friday, April 30
On a day the White House COVID-19 task force celebrated passing the milestone of 100 million Americans fully vaccinated, data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) underlines that the fight against the virus is far from over.
After reporting zero COVID-related deaths on Monday, MDH has recorded double digit fatalities for four consecutive days, including an additional 16 on Friday. That brings Minnesota's total to 7,144 lives lost since the start of the pandemic.
New infections dipped slightly, with 1,877 coronavirus cases recorded in the last day. Those cases are based on results from 40,988 tests (37,169 PCR, 3,819 antigen) processed in private and state labs. Health officials consider a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered probable.
Total cases in the state have reached 575,812. MDH says 553,030 people who at one time tested positive have recovered to the point they no longer require isolation.
Well over four million doses of vaccine have now been administered in Minnesota, with 1,893,516 residents having completed their series to be considered fully vaccinated (42.9% of those age 16 and older). More than 57% of those eligible have received at least one immunization, 2,533,459 people in total.
After a concerning spike in recent days hospital numbers are slowly trending downward, with 619 people hospitalized across the state as of Thursday. Of those patients 166 are being treated in ICU, down from 176 the previous day. The number of available hospital beds in the Twin Cities is down slightly however, with just 67 non-ICU beds open, a 1.8% vacancy rate.
It comes as no surprise that the highest levels of COVID activity have been recorded in Minnesota's largest counties. Hennepin County reports 119,560 cases and 1,705 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 49,674 cases and 863 deaths, Dakota County with 44,389 cases and 437 deaths, and Anoka County with 40,215 cases and 428 fatalities.
Thursday, April 29
2 p.m.
Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and Kris Ehresmann, the agency’s infectious disease director, held a briefing on the state’s COVID-19 cases and vaccination efforts.
After reporting that the state's daily COVID case total has returned near the 2,000 mark, state health officials noted potential exposure concerns with protests as well as school events, such as proms and graduation.
Ehresmann reported that 22 COVID cases have been linked to demonstrations in Brooklyn Center after a white police officer shot and killed a 20-year-old Black man during a traffic stop on April 11. Protests were held for several consecutive nights following Daunte Wright's death.
Eleven of those cases were law enforcement officers, and the 11 others were demonstrators, Ehresmann said.
She advised anyone who attended protests to get tested. Ehresmann also said that anyone with known exposure or anyone who's feeling ill should stay home and away from others.
Malcolm said that MDH is working closely with the state's Department of Education and school leaders to share "practical suggestions" about how to reduce potential COVID spread at proms and other school events.
"In order for us to really enjoy these events safely, it's important that not only are the school-sponsored events following mitigation, but additionally the extra things we do associated with prom and graduation," Ehresmann added. "It's important that we're considering masking and social distancing for those events as well."
11 a.m.
After a number of days of lower case counts, data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) shows new COVID-19 infections are back near the 2,000 mark.
MDH recorded 1,921 new cases in the past day, bringing the state's total to 573,938 since the start of the pandemic. The new infections are based on results from 49,418 tests (38,701 PCR, 10,717 antigen) processed in private and state labs, more than twice Wednesday's reported testing volume.
COVID activity is highest in Minnesota's four most populated counties: Hennepin County reports 119,243 cases and 1,705 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 49,539 cases and 861 deaths, Dakota County with 44,237 cases and 433 deaths, and Anoka County with 40,063 cases and 427 fatalities
Fifteen new deaths were attributed to COVID Thursday, bringing total fatalities to 7,128. Of those deaths 4,365 (61%) are linked to long-term care or assisted living settings.
Hospitalizations remain high but steady, with 644 people being treated for the virus on an inpatient basis as of Wednesday. Of those patients 176 have symptoms serious enough to require treatment in the ICU. Bed availability in Twin Cities metro hospitals continues to improve slightly, with 81 non-ICU beds open across the system (2.2% vacancy).
MDH says 552,069 people who at one time tested positive have improved to the point they no longer need to isolate.
Minnesota's vaccination effort has moved past another milestone, with more than 2.5 million residents having received at least one dose (2,507,381). That's 56.8% of those who are currently eligible. The state vaccine dashboard says 1,857,191 people have completed their COVID-19 series, and are considered fully vaccinated.
