ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on KARE 11 on Oct. 7, 2021.
Monday, Oct. 11
- Merck files for emergency use authorization for COVID-19 treatment pill
- Dr. Anthony Fauci says families can feel safe trick-or-treating outdoors for Halloween as COVID-19 cases in the U.S. decline
- Hospitalizations top 900 for the first time since Dec. 2020
New COVID-19 cases remain in the thousands Monday, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
MDH says 3,223 new cases were reported in Minnesota, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 738,843.
The Minnesota Department of Health no longer provides COVID-19 updates during the weekend, so Monday's new case and death totals are current as of 4 a.m. Friday. Tuesday's update will include numbers reported during the weekend.
Another 25 deaths were also reported Monday. Four of those new deaths happened in September 2021, and the rest occurred in October, according to MDH.
One person in their late 30s died from COVID-19 in St. Louis County, and while seven deaths happened in long-term care or assisted living facilities, 18 were reported in private homes.
Hospitalizations remain high in Minnesota, with 915 people being treated for the virus around the state as of Friday (the latest data available). Of those patients, 241 were in the ICU. The last time hospitalizations passed 900 was in December 2020.
Bed space is low in the metro, with just 1.7% of ICU bed space currently available (11 beds) and 1.4% of regular beds available (50 beds).
Across Minnesota, 6,599,554 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, and 3,424,062 people 16 and older are considered partially vaccinated (73.9%). Of those, 3,254,871 people 16 and older are considered fully vaccinated (70.4%).
Friday, Oct. 8
New numbers released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) support the concerns expressed by Commissioner Jan Malcolm that spiking COVID case numbers are pushing the health care system to the brink.
MDH recorded 3,661 new infections during the last reporting period, nearly 1,000 more cases than reported Thursday. Those new cases are based on results from 54,540 tests (42,762 PCR, 11,779 antigen) processed in private and state labs, which is also an increase from a day earlier.
Health officials consider a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
Minnesota has now recorded a total of 735,646 cases of COVID since the onset of the pandemic.
Hospitalizations from the virus remain high, with 871 people being treated for COVID on an inpatient basis as of Thursday. Of those patients 236 were showing symptoms serious enough to require ICU care.
Twenty more deaths were reported Friday, with 16 from the current month's reporting period and four dating back to September. The fatalities include a person in their early-to-mid 50s from Cottonwood County. MDH says nearly 8,300 Minnesotans have now lost their lives to COVID.
The state vaccine dashboard indicates that as of Wednesday, 3,250,511 people have completed their COVID vaccine series and are considered fully vaccinated, including nearly 150,000 children between the ages of 12 and 15.
Total doses of vaccine administered are now at 6,569,914, with 59% of them Pfizer, 36.6% Moderna and 4.4% Johnson & Johnson.