ST PAUL, Minn. — Thursday, April 1
- MDH releases new guidance relaxing assisted living dining, socializing policies
- Case positivity rate rises to 5.4
- More than 2,000 new COVID cases reported for first time since Jan. 10
- New community vaccination site opening in Oakdale
2 p.m.
Due to improving overall COVID infection numbers at long-term care facilities, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is upgrading guidance to allow residents and their families more freedom in open dining and activities.
MDH Infectious Diseases Director Kris Ehresmann says people at assisted living-type facilities who are fully vaccinated can now dine and take part in activities like cards and socializing at distances less than 6 feet if fully masked.
She said MDH made the change due to lower numbers of COVID-19 cases in assisted living facilities, and higher vaccination rates of residents.
Ehresmann also discussed revised CDC recommendations that now allow residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities to leave for trips or visits of less than 24-hours, regardless of vaccination status, without quarantining when they return.
For more on the new guidance visit the MDH website.
Ehresmann did express concern at the rising number of cases reported Thursday (2,140) and a case positivity rate of 5.4, which is in the caution range.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield told reporters that the state is continuing to see the spread of variant COVID strains, especially the B.1.1.7 virus, which is thought to have started in the United Kingdom. She says this variant is thought to be 50% more contagious, and in the U.K has shown to have a 64% higher death rate for those who contract it.
Lynfield said strains other than B.1.1.7 seem to not respond to conventional treatments and therapies, and antibodies from people who have had the virus may not neutralize those variants.
11 a.m.
For the first time since Jan. 10, new daily COVID-19 cases passed the 2,000 mark. On Thursday, MDH reported 2,140 new cases Thursday along with 12 new deaths.
The total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began is now 521,667, with the total number of deaths now at 6,860.
To date, 27,404 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 5,635 of them needing care in the ICU.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 51,252 cases and four deaths, and ages 25-29 follow with 46,478 cases and six deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group with 1,290 out of 6,486 diagnosed cases.
Hennepin County has had the most COVID activity in the state with 108,453 cases and 1,647 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 45,298 cases and 841 deaths, Anoka County with 35,666 cases and 407 deaths, and Dakota County with 39,508 cases and 409 deaths.
According to the most recent statewide data from March 30, so far 1,682,545 Minnesotans have received at least one dose of a vaccine, about 38.1% of the population. In Minnesota, 1,057,848 people have completed their vaccine series.
9 a.m.
Governor Tim Walz announced Thursday that the state's eighth permanent vaccination site at Inwood Oaks event center in Oakdale will begin giving immunizations this week. The Oakdale site joins similar clinics in Minneapolis, Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington, Saint Paul, St. Cloud, and Mankato.
As of March 30, all Minnesotans 16 years of age and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations, and state health officials are anticipating an influx of doses from the federal government and other sources.
Those who have not been vaccinated are encouraged to sign up for the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector, which notifies users about vaccine opportunities near them. Minnesotans signed up for the Vaccine Connector that are currently eligible for the vaccine could be randomly selected for an appointment at a community site, including the new one in Oakdale. The Connector also contacts them directly if they are eligible to make an appointment.
Wednesday, March 31
Data shared by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Wednesday shows hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are at their highest level since January, and cases and deaths due to the virus continue a small but steady uptick.
MDH says 411 people were across the state were being treated on an in-patient basis as of Tuesday, with 102 in intensive care. It's the first time single-day hospitalizations have been above 400 since Jan. 29 (402). The day before that, Jan. 28, 450 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
Open non-ICU beds in the Twin Cities metro are down to 124 (3.4% vacancy rate). The total number of Minnesotans who have required hospital care since the pandemic started is up to 27,302, with 5,623 needing treatment in the ICU.
State health officials say 499,395 people who at one time tested positive for the virus have improved to the point they no longer need isolation.
MDH says 1,660 infections were recorded in the past day, based on results from 22,481 tests (19,027 PCR, 3,454 Antigen) processed in private and state labs. Health officials consider a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is labeled as probable.
Total coronavirus cases in Minnesota have climbed to 519,529 since the start of the pandemic, with 29,703 cases based on antigen tests.
The virus has claimed 12 more lives, bringing fatalities to 6,848. Of those deaths 4,276 (62%) are tied to assisted living or long-term care facilities.
Young adults between 20 and 24 are now tied to 51,081 infections, the largest number of any age group. The virus has been most deadly for those ages 85 to 89, with 1,288 fatalities in 6,480 diagnosed cases.
Minnesota's vaccination efforts continue with 1,658,176 people having received at least one dose as of Monday. That's 37.6% of the state's 5.6 million residents. Of that number, 1,031,745 have completed the two-shot series, and are considered fully vaccinated (23.4%).
Of those who are 65 and older, 81.3% have been immunized at least once.