ST PAUL, Minn. — Tuesday, April 27
- MDH reports 12 COVID deaths, up from zero reported Monday
- CDC relaxes guidelines for wearing masks outdoors
- COVID-19 vaccination appointments now available directly through Vaccine Connector
- CDC recommends continued use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine
- Minnesota's J&J supply may take longer to rebound
- B 117 variant driving cases up across the state
2 p.m.
Gov. Walz, Lt. Gov. Flanagan and MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm are touring one of the state's new mobile vaccination units. They are also expected to speak on Minnesota's COVID-19 trends and vaccine efforts.
At the event, Walz said the units will help people without computer or transportation access get vaccinated.
"We'll keep adding these, we'll keep bringing them to workplaces, we'll keep bringing them to schools," he said.
He referenced Monday's announcement that a child in southwestern Minnesota had died from COVID-19, saying the state's struggle against the virus isn't over.
Asked about the CDC's recent relaxed guidance regarding outdoor mask-wearing, he said the state bases its guidelines on the CDC's recommendations.
MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm agreed, saying transmission is less likely outdoors.
Asked about vaccinating minors, Malcolm said MDH is already working with schools to vaccinate 16 and 17-year-olds, who are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. She said it's likely that eligibility will expand to kids as young as 12 soon.
Walz addressed "vaccine hesitancy," the idea of people putting off or refusing the vaccine due to concerns about its safety or usefulness. He said he doesn't want to characterize people as vaccine hesitant, and that he feels they want to make an informed decisions. He said lack of convenience and barriers to vaccine access are other contributing factors.
You can watch the full event below.
11 a.m.
Data released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reflects a slight single-day drop in COVID cases across Minnesota, but 12 additional deaths from the virus.
Those deaths, up from zero reported Monday, bring the state's total to 7,091 since the start of the pandemic, 4,354 of which are associated with long-term or assisted living settings (61%).
MDH recorded 1,088 new infections in the past day, based on results from 13,658 tests (12,136 PCR, 1,522 antigen) processed in private and state labs. Health officials consider a PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered probable.
The new cases bring Minnesota's total to 570,518. Of those cases 37,952 are based on antigen tests.
Hospitals across the state report 641 people are currently being treated for COVID on an inpatient basis, with 184 of those people requiring ICU care. That number is up from 613 hospitalizations listed Sunday. In total 29,918 people have been hospitalized for COVID since the virus was documented in Minnesota.
MDH says 549,110 people who at one time tested positive for COVID have recovered to the point they no longer need to isolate.
The state vaccine dashboard says as of Saturday 56% of Minnesotans eligible to receive a COVID vaccination (age 16+) has been immunized at least once, 2,468,406 people. MDH says 1,811,171 people have completed their COVID series, and are considered fully vaccinated. That's 41.1% of those eligible.
More than 4 million total vaccinations have been given to Minnesotans. Gov. Tim Walz announced that anyone who needs a vaccination appointment can now do so directly via the state's Vaccine Connector website (see full story below).
Young adults continue to be a concern for state health officials, with those between 20 and 24 accounting for 55,517 cases, the largest grouping of any age group. The virus has had the deadliest effect on those 85 to 89, with 1,312 deaths in just 6,632 reported cases.
The state's four most populous counties have recorded the most COVID activity: Hennepin County reports 118,597 cases and 1,700 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 49,230 cases and 859 deaths, Dakota County with 43,909 cases and 427 deaths, and Anoka County with 39,790 cases and 424 fatalities.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota reports the least COVID activity with 153 cases and zero deaths.
8 a.m.
Gov. Tim Walz announced April 26 that Minnesotans can now directly schedule an appointment to receive a COVID-19 shot at one of the state's community vaccination sites. Simply log on to the Vaccine Connector website, sign up, and then book an open vaccination slot at a location near you by clicking on the "Get an appointment today!" button.
Currently there are community clinics set up in St. Paul, Bloomington, Oakdale, Mankato, Duluth, Rochester, Lino Lakes and St. Cloud.
A federally-supported Community Vaccination Program location at the State Fairgrounds specifically serves residents of socially vulnerable zip codes in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul.
“To end this pandemic, we need as many Minnesotans vaccinated as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Governor Walz. “To drive that goal, Minnesotans can now book appointments at our Community Vaccination locations directly and at their convenience. The sooner we get shots in arms, the sooner we can get back to the things we love and the people we miss. Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans have been able to find their COVID-19 vaccine through the Vaccine Connector, and today, that is easier than ever.”
If all appointments at your chosen location are full, Minnesotans can also sign up to be informed when they are able to book a time slot to be vaccinated, or be notified about other vaccination opportunities near them.
The Walz administration says Minnesota continues to lead the nation and make strong progress vaccinating everyone 16 years of age and older. The state has now administered more than 4 million doses to nearly 2.5 million people. The state vaccination dashboard indicates more than 56% of Minnesotans 16+, and 85% of adults 65+ have been immunized at least once.
Nearly one-third of all Minnesotans have completed the COVID-19 vaccination series.
In recent days state health officials have also said that stepped-up testing is key to curbing the increases they seen in both cases and hospitalizations, especially with young people. Minnesotans can get a free COVID-19 tests by walking in, or scheduling an appointment for a test at one of the state’s community testing sites across Minnesota. You can also order a test through the state’s at-home COVID-19 testing program.
Monday, April 26
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported zero new deaths due to COVID-19 Monday, for the first time in over a month.
The last time Minnesota saw a day with zero COVID deaths was March 22. MDH has warned in the past that death rates trail case rates by a few weeks. With recently rising case numbers, death rates are still likely to rise in the coming weeks.
There were 1,197 new cases of the virus reported Monday, with 973 of those considered "confirmed" cases and 224 considered "probable."
Hospital bed use is trending down after several weeks of rising numbers. There were 613 COVID patients in Minnesota hospitals as of Sunday, the most recent data available. One hundred and seventy-nine of those people were in the ICU. Both of those numbers have decreased for the past three days after rising steadily over the months of March and April.
Health officials at MDH believe that at least 50% of Minnesota's new cases could be due to the B.1.1.7. variant circulating in communities. They are urging the public to continue to follow public health guidelines even as vaccine distribution ramps up.
As of the most recent update from MDH Saturday, 2,459,629 people have received at least one vaccine dose in Minnesota. That's about 55.8% of the eligible population. Another 1,805,781 people, or 40.9% of the state, have had the completed vaccine series.