SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Wednesday, Sept. 1
- YMCA of the North to offer vaccine clinics around the Twin Cities metro
- Health officials report 1,436 new cases, six new deaths
- Over 600 people hospitalized around the state for COVID-19
- MDH adds two new free testing sites in Bloomington and Saint Paul
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced Wednesday that the number of COVID-19 cases in the state has increased by 1,436, bringing the cumulative total to 651,388 since the onset of the pandemic.
Six more people died, bringing total fatalities in the state to 7,817. Two of the deaths that occurred were people in the age group of 50 to 54 years of age, one in Hennepin County and one in Carver County.
Health officials say 4,545 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Officials say a total of 614 people are currently hospitalized and being treated for the virus on an inpatient basis. The last time hospitalizations in Minnesota were over 600 was back on April 30, 2021. Also on Wednesday health officials said that 171 people currently require ICU care.
Total hospitalizations since the arrival of COVID have risen to 35,329.
MDH reported 6,190,997 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,317,709 people age 16 and older having received at least one shot (71.2%). Of that number 3,116,298 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (67.8%).
Tuesday, Aug. 31
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced Tuesday that the number of COVID-19 cases in the state has increased by 3,882 over the weekend, bringing the cumulative total to 649,964.
MDH no longer shares data on weekends, so numbers released on Tuesdays reflect reports from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday.
Six more people died, bringing the cumulative death total to 7,811 since the pandemic began.
Health officials say 4,544 of those deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
According to MDH data, a total of 589 people are currently hospitalized for the virus in Minnesota. Of those patients, 164 require ICU care. After rising steadily since late July, Minnesota's COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to have held relatively stable over the weekend.
Total hospitalizations since the arrival of COVID have risen to 35,121.
MDH says 6,181,806 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,314,084 people age 16 and older having received at least one shot (71.7%). Of that number 3,111,569 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (67.7%).
Monday, Aug. 30
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,918 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. Those numbers are through 4 a.m. Friday, and are based on the results of 34,797 tests (29,773 PCR, 5,024 antigen) processed in private and state labs.
A positive PCR test is considered a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered probable.
591 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, the newest data available. Of those patients, 163 had symptoms severe enough to require ICU care.
In the Twin Cities metro, just 18 staffed ICU beds are available, or 2.6% of all ICU beds in the area. 59 staffed non-ICU beds are available in the metro, or 1.6% of non-ICU beds in the area.
Since the pandemic began, just over 35,000 people have been hospitalized with the virus in Minnesota.
MDH reported six additional deaths due to COVID-19 Monday, bringing the statewide total since the beginning of the pandemic to 7,805.
Health officials also report that 3,305,165 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine so far. That number represents 71.5% of the population ages 16 and older. Of that group, 3,099,199 million people are considered fully vaccinated against the virus, or 67.5%.
Friday, Aug. 27
2 p.m.
Officials with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) are holding a media briefing Friday afternoon to provide an update on COVID-19 in the state.
During the briefing, MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm said cases are quickly increasing in areas where children gather. She said 324 cases were reported this week from schools, camps and childcare, nearly a 50% increase from last week.
Malcolm said she was "troubled" by the news out of Albert Lea Area Schools, where 290 students are currently quarantined from exposure to COVID-19. She emphasized that MDH's guidance is that all people over the age of 12 get vaccinated against COVID before returning to in-person school activities, and everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask in schools and during school activities.
She added that MDH cannot mandate schools follow this guidance, but the department is concerned that without a mandate, some schools and school districts are misunderstanding the importance of MDH's guidance.
"I want to be really clear on this point," she said. "This layered prevention approach is something we are strongly urging schools to follow. In the face of the highly contagious delta variant, there has never been a more important time than right now for everyone in schools where there is a high transmission of the virus to be masking and using the multiple layers of prevention available to prevent infection."
Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Heather Mueller joined the call to echo MDH's guidance, and urged schools to put policies in place that require universal masking, quarantining and social distancing.
Mueller said the Department of Education is not tracking how many Minnesota school districts are currently following that guidance.
MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann addressed contact tracing from the State Fair, saying MDH will likely not have data on transmission of the virus at the fair until it's over. She reminded people it is possible to contract COVID-19 in crowded outdoor spaces, and said events like the fair are "risky environments."
11 a.m.
Hospitalization numbers continue to rise in Minnesota as the state attempts to fight the delta variant of COVID-19.
The Minnesota Department of Health said 590 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, the newest data available. Of those patients, 166 had symptoms severe enough for ICU care.
Minnesota's COVID-19 hospitalization numbers have been on the rise since mid-July. Thursday's total was the highest since May 1, 2021.
Six more Minnesotans have died from the virus, MDH reported Friday. Most of them were in their 70s or 80s, but one was between 65 and 69 years old. Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 7,800 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in Minnesota.
MDH also reported 1,912 new COVID-19 cases in Minnesota, bringing the state's cumulative total to 644,190 reported cases.
Meanwhile, Minnesota reports that nearly 3.3 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Most of that group -- about 3.09 million -- are considered fully vaccinated against the virus.
State and local leaders continue to push for more vaccinations, with incentives like a $100 gift card for some of those who get vaccinated at the State Fair. Fair organizers did not require attendees to wear masks, but "strongly encouraged" masking indoors and in crowded outdoor areas. Citing the lack of a vaccine or mask mandate, rock band Low Cut Connie decided days in advance not to play at the fair.
Also this week, in-person school is back in session. While some districts decided to require students to mask up, others kept masking optional. Albert Lea Area Schools decided to update its masking rules days into the school year after 36 people tested positive for the virus and nearly 300 students were placed in quarantine.
State health officials plan to hold a COVID-19 briefing call Friday at 2 p.m. KARE 11 will stream the call live on kare11.com and on YouTube.