ST PAUL, Minn. — Sunday, April 11
- MDH: More than 2 million in Minnesota at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19
- State opens new permanent COVID vaccination site in Lino Lakes
- Minnesota administers 3 millionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine
- Hospitalizations reach 565, highest since early January
- Muslim leaders: COVID-19 vaccine does not break Ramadan fast
- Cancelled TCO Performance Center vaccination appointments moved to U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota has passed another milestone: More than 2 million people in the state are at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported Sunday that 2,050,888 people in the state have received at least one vaccine dose -- about 46.5% of Minnesota's eligible population. Of that group, 1,386,766 are fully vaccinated. That makes up about 31.4% of Minnesota's eligible population.
This is not the first vaccination milestone Minnesota has passed in recent days; health officials announced Thursday that more than 3 million vaccine doses have been administered in the state.
However, health officials in recent briefings have warned about other COVID-19 trends, like rising hospitalization rates and the increase of COVID-19 variants in the state.
Also Sunday, MDH reported 1,784 new COVID-19 cases. The new total follows four days in a row with new case totals over 2,000.
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 1,515 confirmed cases and 269 probable cases.
The total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began is now 542,053, with 33,445 of those as antigen test results.
MDH says 13 new deaths from the virus were reported. The total number of fatalities in Minnesota is 6,957.
To date, 28,229 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 5,781 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 516,427 people once diagnosed with the virus have passed the point where they are required to isolate.
Saturday, April 10
As Minnesota nears 2 million people with at least one vaccine dose, the state's newly reported COVID-19 cases stayed over 2,000.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 2,454 new COVID-19 cases Saturday and 12 additional deaths.
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 2,181 confirmed cases and 273 probable cases.
As for vaccination data, the state reported 1,994,347 people in the state have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose -- about 45.2% of the state's eligible population. Of that group, 1,333,992 are fully vaccinated. That's about 30.2% of Minnesota's eligible population.
The total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began is now 540,277, with 33,179 of those as antigen test results.
MDH says 12 new deaths from the virus were reported. The total number of fatalities in Minnesota is 6,944.
To date, 28,220 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 5,780 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 514,294 people once diagnosed with the virus have passed the point where they are required to isolate.
Friday, April 9
Minnesota's vaccination effort continues to gain speed, with the addition of a new community vaccination site and another big milestone in the not-so-distant future.
Governor Tim Walz announced Friday that the old YMCA building in Lino Lakes will open in the coming days as the state's ninth permanent, large-scale vaccination site. And Minnesota's vaccine dashboard says as of Wednesday, 1,940,081 eligible Minnesotans (age 16 and older) have received at least one vaccination. With Thursday and Friday as the two busiest vaccination days of the week (topping the 70,000 mark in recent weeks), the state has likely passed 2 million residents immunized with at least one dose of vaccine.
The dashboard says 1,285,925 people have completed their series and are considered fully vaccinated, nearly 30% of Minnesota's eligible population.
Not all the news is good on the COVID front. Data released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says 2,659 new infections were reported in the last day, bringing total cases to 537,828 since the start of the pandemic. The new cases are based on results from 56,647 tests (48,475 PCR, 8,172 antigen), a relatively high volume. Health experts consider a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
Hospitalizations from COVID also consider on a steady slope upwards, with 595 people being treated for the virus on an in-patient basis as of Thursday. Of those patients 134 needed treatment in the ICU. The last time single-day hospitalizations were that high was Jan. 16, when 605 people were being treated.
State health officials have stated in recent days that they believe the recent uptick in both cases and hospitalizations is due to the growing presence of the B.1.1.7 variant in the state.
MDH says 512,029 people who at one time tested positive for COVID no longer require isolation.
Bed availability in the Twin Cities system remains low, with just 70 non-ICU beds available across the metro, a vacancy rate of 1.9%.
In total, 28,106 people have been hospitalized with COVID in Minnesota since the pandemic hit.
Ten more people have died from the virus, bringing total fatalities to 6,932.
Thursday, April 8
2:00 p.m.
Minnesota Department of Health officials gave an update on rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations after the state's 3 millionth vaccine dose was administered Thursday.
Dr. Ruth Lynfield, the agency's medical director and state epidemiologist, said roughly 50-60% of Minnesota's COVID infections are linked to the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom.
The state reported 1,573 cases of the variant as of Thursday, with 4% of the patients hospitalized. Five of those infected have died.
Minnesota health officials have also identified more of the two variants first reported in California, B.1427 and B.1429. Dr. Lynfield said the state has identified 337 cases of these variants, with 2% of patients hospitalized. Two of those infected have died.
Lynfield also said they've found five cases of the P.1 variant first identified in Brazil, and 26 cases of the B.1351 variant first identified in South Africa.
Lynfield warned Minnesotans that the variants are spreading, and residents need to be careful while more people get vaccinated.
Imam Hassan Jama, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, also joined state health officials during the briefing Thursday to clarify how to handle getting vaccinated as Ramadan approaches.
Jama said a vaccine doesn't constitute breaking your fast since it's neither food nor drink. He also said those who receive a vaccine during Ramadan can break their fasts should they experience symptoms and need to take care of themselves.
Jama said his group has outlined how to gather in groups during the evenings to limit the spread of COVID-19, and that community leaders are "working very hard to have a peaceful Ramadan."
1:30 p.m.
Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are praising the state's milestone of three million vaccine doses administered as of this week.
“This was our fastest million doses yet and, with fans in the stands at Target Field, the signs are all around us – spring has arrived, normalcy is near, and we are going to end this pandemic," Gov. Walz said in a statement. "As we continue our critical work to immunize for impact and prioritize our most vulnerable neighbors, it’s important we continue to protect each other from the virus – keep that mask up, socially distance, and get tested when needed.”
“As the pace of vaccination rises, we are doubling down on our efforts to ensure that every Minnesotan who wants a vaccine can get one,” Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan said. “We are partnering directly with communities across the state to distribute vaccines quickly and equitably. We cannot let our guard down now, but we are almost to the other side of this pandemic.”
According to the governor's office, the state of Minnesota is leading the nation in doses administered.
11 a.m.
Minnesota crossed another milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination efforts this week, with the three-millionth dose of vaccine administered on Wednesday, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
An MDH online database shows a total of 3,048,429 doses of vaccine have been administered thus far. Of that total, more than half (51.2%) were the two-dose Pfizer version of the vaccine, followed by Moderna's two-dose vaccine (45.3%). About 3.4% of vaccinated Minnesotans have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The latest MDH vaccination totals show that as of Tuesday, 1,900,248 Minnesotans age 16 or older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, representing about 43% of the state's 16+ population. More than 1.2 million Minnesotans had completed their vaccine series as of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations from COVID-19 continue to rise in Minnesota, with the MDH reporting 565 hospitalizations as of Wednesday. Of those patients 131 are receiving care in the ICU. The totals mark the highest number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 since Jan. 19 (570).
Thursday's update from MDH showed 2,535 new COVID-19 cases in the state. That marks an increase from Wednesday's numbers (2,004); however, there was also a sharp increase in the number of tests conducted between Wednesday (25,885) and Thursday's reports (44,111).
Thursday's MDH report also noted 14 additional deaths attributed to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths from the coronavirus to 6,922 since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.
More than 535,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Minnesota since the pandemic began.