ST PAUL, Minn. — Sunday, Sept. 27
2 p.m.
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services reported 2,217 new cases Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases statewide to 115,862 since the pandemic started.
Health officials announced no new deaths on Sunday. The total number of fatalities statewide is 1,281. The total number of fatalities is approximately 1.1% of those testing positive for the virus.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,077 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday.
This brings the total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began to 96,734.
MDH says four Minnesotans have died of complications from the virus during the past day, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to 2,008.
To date 7,493 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2,095 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 86,252 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer require isolation.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 13,252 cases and one death, and those ages 25-29 follow with 9,509 cases and three deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group at 346 out of
1,297 confirmed cases.
In terms of likely exposure to the coronavirus, MDH says 24,846 cases were the result of community transmission with no known contact with an infected person, and 21,982 had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case.
A total of 11,763 cases involved exposure in a congregate living setting, 1,431 were in a corrections setting, and 351 were in a homeless shelter. MDH data shows 8,648 were linked to an outbreak outside of congregate living or health care.
MDH says 8,628 cases were linked to travel. Health care workers or patients account for 3,242 of diagnosed COVID-19 cases.
MDH has prioritized testing for people in congregate care, hospitalized patients and health care workers, which may impact the scale of those numbers. However, now MDH is urging anyone who is symptomatic to be tested. Testing locations can be found online.
Hennepin County has the most cases in the state at 27,177 cases with 931 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 10,985 cases and 320 deaths. Dakota County reports 7,585 cases and 126 deaths.
Saturday, Sept. 26
2 p.m.
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services reported 2,817 new cases Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases statewide to 113,645 since the pandemic started.
Health officials announced seven new deaths on Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities statewide to 1,281. The total number of fatalities is approximately 1.1% of those testing positive for the virus.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 7,041 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 6.2% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 26% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 15% are between 30 and 39, 14% are between 50 and 59, and 13% are 40 to 49. An estimated 13% are between 10 and 19, and 9% are between 60 and 69.
As of Saturday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of cases with 28,260 along with 528 deaths. Dane County has reported 9,488 cases and 41 deaths, and Brown County has reported 8,778 cases and 62 deaths.
A more detailed breakdown of cases by county can be found on the DHS website.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,478 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday.
This brings the total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began to 95,659.
MDH says 10 Minnesotans have died of complications from the virus during the past day, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to 2,004.
MDH is also announcing a change in the way the department will be reporting daily COVID-19 hospitalizations. Instead of sharing the current number of patients hospitalized each day, MDH will now report daily new patient admissions, both for general care and ICU. On Saturday the department reported 25 new COVID-19 admissions in hospitals across the state, with 20 requiring ICU care. To date 7,443 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2,085 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 85,259 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer require isolation.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 13,143 cases and one death, and those ages 25-29 follow with 9,416 cases and three deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group at 345 out of
1,277 confirmed cases.
Hennepin County has the most cases in the state at 26,960 cases with 930 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 10,911 cases and 320 deaths. Dakota County reports 7,524 cases and 126 deaths.
Friday, Sept. 25
- CDC withdraws COVID survey teams due to racist incidents, MDH dealing with 'unprecedented' levels of hostility
- Wisconsin reports 2,504 new coronavirus cases in one day
- Bemidji, Bloomington, Maplewood, Marshall, Moorhead, Thief River Falls named as targeted testing sites
- Minnesota tops 1,000 new COVID cases
2:45 p.m.
State health officials are addressing the withdrawal of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) survey teams from Minnesota after "troubling incidents" involving harassment and racism.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff addressed the issue on the regular media briefing call Friday afternoon. He said that the team from the CASPER project, a statewide survey by the CDC, was supposed to be in Minnesota from Sept. 14-30.
"The CDC determined the reception these teams were getting in communities was too often hostile," Huff said.
Huff said that people of color on the teams specifically were subjected to racial slurs. He referenced an incident on Sept. 15 when two cars pulled up and boxed in the survey team's vehicle.
"Three men got out and one had a holstered gun with his hand on it," he said. "The team felt that the intent was to intimidate and scare them."
The men used racial slurs, Huff said, something that happened to survey teams in other incidents as well.
"Over the past week a pattern emerged where the CASPER teams that contained people of color were reporting more incidents," he said.
People of color began reporting "increasing feelings of anxiety with the field work," Huff said.
At that point, the CDC made a decision pull out of Minnesota completely.
"This is disappointing on multiple levels," Huff said. "Through the CASPER survey we had hoped to better understand how COVID-19 is spreading in Minnesota and how it is affecting people. That kind of understanding could have helped us improve multiple aspects of our response."
While Huff acknowledged that many of the team's interactions were positive, he said the development should cause everyone to reflect.
"Take a pause and consider how we treat each other in this stressful time," Huff said. "The enemy is the virus, not each other."
Huff said that public health officials are sometimes subject to angry calls and emails, but they have increased to an "unprecedented" level during the pandemic.
"I do receive threatening and hostile emails and sometimes phone calls," MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said.
Huff said that he knows that at their best, Minnesotans come together to solve problems collaboratively.
"We are not at our best right now, and that is disappointing," he said.
MDH did not have information about whether CDC has pulled teams out of other states.
Ehresmann said that in general, public health officials in other states also report "stress and hostile comments."
"In some ways this is universal because the stress that people in Minnesota are feeling is being felt across the country," Ehresmann said. "I think that what is particularly disturbing to us is that somehow you always think that your home state is the best, and that we were better than all of that. ... We're Minnesota and we expected that our fellow citizens would behave differently, and that is particularly devastating to our staff."
2 p.m.
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services reported 2,504 new cases Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases statewide to 110,828 since the pandemic started.
Due to high case numbers, Gov. Tony Evers issued an emergency order mandating indoor face coverings that began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Evers extended the mask mandate until Nov. 21.
Officials from the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced that they will be resuming some in-person activity on campus after they shifted to all online classes on Wednesday, Sept. 9 for two weeks after seeing a rapid increase in confirmed cases on campus.
Health officials announced nine new deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of fatalities statewide to 1,274. The total number of fatalities is approximately 1.1% of those testing positive for the virus.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 6,962 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 6.3% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 26% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 15% are between 30 and 39, 14% are between 50 and 59, and 13% are 40 to 49. An estimated 13% are between 10 and 19, and 9% are between 60 and 69.
As of Friday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of cases with 27,937 along with 527 deaths. Dane County has reported 9,345 cases and 41 deaths, and Brown County has reported 8,499 cases and 62 deaths.
A more detailed breakdown of cases by county can be found on the DHS website.
12:30 p.m.
State health officials have announced the sites for week two of Minnesota's push to increase testing in COVID hotspots.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says teams will be deployed the week of Sept. 28 to Bemidji, Bloomington, Maplewood, Marshall, Moorhead and Thief River Falls. Coronavirus tests will be done in those communities free of charge for anyone who wants one, whether they are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or not. The effort is part of a four-week push to provide "no barrier" testing following increased levels of community spread statewide.
Insurance is not required to get tested.
“The recent spike in cases - particularly among people who don’t know how they contracted the virus - is deeply concerning,” said Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. “But Minnesota communities are taking it seriously and are proactively seeking support for increased access to testing. More than 2,600 people sought a test at this week’s testing events and many have already received their results. All who contract the virus are contagious and giving people a chance to get tested allows people to isolate if positive and let their close contacts know they should quarantine."
The first week of targeted testing was done on residents of Grand Rapids, Pine City and Waseca.
Testing sites are being selected using data to identify communities that are experiencing workplace clusters, are close to bordering states or haven’t yet had larger-scale testing offered.
Here are the locations and testing hours for next week.
Bemidji
Tuesday, Sept. 29; Wednesday, Sept. 30; Thursday, Oct. 1
Noon to 6 p.m.
Bemidji Armory
1430 23rd Street NW
Bemidji Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Bloomington
Tuesday, Sep. 29; Wednesday, Sept. 30; Thursday, Oct. 1
Noon to 6 p.m.
Normandale Community College - parking ramp
9700 France Ave S
Bloomington Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Maplewood
Weekdays Noon to 7 p.m. – Tuesday, Sept. 29, Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Thursday, Oct. 1
Weekends 1-6 p.m. – Saturday, Sept. 26, and Saturday, Oct. 3.
Aldrich Arena
1850 White Bear Ave
Ramsey County Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Marshall
Tuesday, Sept. 29; Wednesday, Sept. 30; Thursday, Oct. 1
Noon to 6 p.m.
Red Baron Arena and Expo Center
1651 Victory Dr
Marshall Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Moorhead
Tuesday, Sept. 29; Wednesday, Sept. 30; Thursday, Oct. 1
Noon to 6 p.m.
Moorhead Armory
1002 15th Avenue N
Moorhead Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Thief River Falls
Tuesday, Sept. 29; Wednesday, Sept. 30; Thursday, Oct. 1
Noon to 6 p.m.
Huck Olson Civic Center
501 Brooks Ave
Thief River Falls Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
11 a.m.
The number of new COVID-19 cases continues to trend in the wrong direction, something that state health officials have previously expressed great concern about.
New numbers released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reflect 1,191 additional cases reported in the past day, based on the results of 28,230 tests performed in private and state labs. That testing volume is among the highest single-day totals reported in Minnesota since the onset of the pandemic.
The total number of COVID cases in Minnesota now stands at 94,189.
Six more people have died of coronavirus, bringing the total of fatalities to 1,994. Of those deaths 1,438, or 72%, occurred in long-term or assisted living facilities.
MDH is changing the way the department will report daily COVID-19 hospitalizations. Instead of sharing the current number of patients hospitalized each day, MDH will now report daily new patient admissions, both for general care and ICU. On Friday the department reported five new COVID-19 admissions in hospitals across the state, with three of those patients requiring ICU care. To date 7,391 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2,067 of them needing care in the ICU.
Of the 94,189 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic came to Minnesota, MDH says 84,256 have recovered to the point they no longer require isolation.
Those between the ages of 20 and 24 continue to make up the largest group of coronavirus cases in the state with 12,944 and one death, followed by people 25 to 29 with 9,299 cases and three deaths, and 15 to 19-year-olds with 8,938 cases and zero deaths.
The age group with the largest number of COVID-19 fatalities are people 85 to 89. That demographic accounts for 342 deaths in just 1,261 cases, which means 27% of those testing positive eventually died from the virus.
Hennepin County reports the highest volume of COVID activity with 26,706 cases and 928 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 10,775 and 319 fatalities. Dakota County reports 7,428 cases and 125 deaths.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota has seen the least amount of COVID activity with just six confirmed cases and zero deaths, followed by Kittson County with 12 cases and no fatalities.
Thursday, Sept. 24
11 a.m.
Statistics released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reflect another day of high COVID-19 case numbers.
MDH says 995 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24-hour reporting period, bringing total cases in Minnesota to 93,012 since the onset of the pandemic. Those new cases are based on results from 21,159 tests performed in private and state labs.
Three more Minnesotans have died from coronavirus in the past day, bringing total fatalities to 1,988. Of those deaths 1,435, or 72 percent of them have occurred in assisted living or long-term care settings.
State health officials say 83,862 people who at one time tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered to the point they no longer require isolation.
MDH is also announcing a change in the way the department will be reporting daily COVID-19 hospitalizations. Instead of sharing the current number of patients hospitalized each day, MDH will now report daily new patient admissions, both for general care and ICU. On Thursday the department reported three new COVID-19 admissions in hospitals across the state, with one of those patients requiring ICU care. To date 7,331 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2029 of them needing care in the ICU.
People in their 20s continue to account for the greatest number of Minnesota's cases. Those between 20 and 24 make up 12,777 cases with one death, while people from 25 to 29 comprise 9,200 cases and three deaths. The age group from 15 to 19 continues to grow, with 8,798 cases and zero deaths.
The age group with the most COVID-related deaths are people between 85 and 89. That demographic accounts for 339 deaths in just 1,244 cases, meaning 27% of those who were diagnosed with the virus died from it.
Hennepin County reports the most coronavirus activity in the state with 26,447 cases and 926 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 10,697 cases and 319 deaths. Dakota County reports 7,354 cases and 125 deaths.
Cook County in northeast Minnesota has the least COVID activity with just six cases and zero deaths, followed by Kittson County with just 12 diagnosed cases.
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and see what businesses are open as the state slowly lifts restrictions. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11.
The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.
