ST PAUL, Minn. — Wednesday, May 27
- Fatalities, ICU patients tie or exceed single-day highs
- Poll: Half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccination
- Minneapolis temporarily allows restaurants and bars to expand outdoor seating
2 p.m.
Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that the next phase of the Stay Safe MN order, beginning June 1, represents a “cautious, strategic turn of the dial.”
That new stage will include restaurants opening outdoor seating with limited capacity and social distancing in place, and salons opening with limited capacity.
"We're taking very seriously what the next step of that is," the governor said in response to questions about indoor seating for restaurants. "It was never meant to make people whole, it was one step in the direction."
In a media briefing Wednesday with a small press pool, Walz said we're "kind of in the yellow" in two places in the state in terms of ICU capacity. He said that all of the modeling seems to show that the peak of hospitalizations is still "a ways off."
He would not give a timeline for the next steps in the Stay Safe order for Minnesota.
"If we were past the peak and on the other side, these decisions would be easier to make," Walz said. "We're not there yet."
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the speed of the spread of COVID-19 across the country and globe is "stunning."
Among the 33 coronavirus-related deaths reported Wednesday in Minnesota, Malcolm said one person was in their 30s with no known underlying health conditions.
Malcolm said that even though the state has planned for the peak and has surge capacity available, it's worth noting that some of Minnesota's hospitals have already gone into that surge capacity.
Malcolm said she is aware of an MDH investigation into COVID-19 at a child care facility, but did not have details at the time.
11 a.m.
Deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 matched or exceeded single-day highs, according to new numbers released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
MDH says 33 Minnesotans died of the coronavirus in the latest 24-hour reporting period, pushing the total of fatalities to 932 since the pandemic began. The 33 deaths tie a previous mark recorded on May 22. Of those 932 deaths, 759 occurred in long-term care or assisted living situations.
An additional 510 people tested positive for the virus in the past day, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 22,464. Private and state labs performed 6,634 tests, increasing the total number of those tested to 216,532.
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms serious enough to require treatment in the ICU sits at 260, a new single-day high. Currently, a total of 598 people are being treated in Minnesota hospitals for the coronavirus.
Health officials say 16,314 people who at one time tested positive for the virus have recovered enough to no longer require isolation. That's 72% of Minnesota's confirmed cases.
Hennepin County reports the most COVID-19 cases with 7,540, and 565 fatalities. Ramsey County confirms 2,610 cases and 103 deaths, while Stearns County reports 1,984 and 12 fatalities.
Tuesday, May 26
2 p.m.
The median age of COVID-19 cases is 42 years old, Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said during her daily briefing. She added that while older people tend to have bigger risks of developing severe cases, that we are seeing deaths and serious illness in "younger people."
Malcolm said the testing initiative over the weekend was very successful. The Minnesota National Guard carried out 10,000 free COVID-19 tests at six different sites.
Almost all health plans in the state have agreed to waive COVID-19 hospitalization copays through Sept. 30.
MDH has issued awarded than $97 million in grants to health care providers to help fund their response to the pandemic.
MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said Minnesota has seen the largest single day increase of ICU bed usage with a jump of 41 in 24 hours.
Malcolm said she would feel comfortable eating out on June 1, and that she would ask the restaurant is they are enforcing capacity limitation, distancing is right and mask usage.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting 21,960 total positive cases in the state. There have been 652 newly reported cases and 18 reported deaths in the last 24 hours.
The total number of completed tests is now at 209,898.
Of the total positive cases, 2,427 of them are healthcare workers.
There are now 15,523 patients who no longer require isolation.
There have been 899 deaths in the state due to the virus, and 732 of them were among cases that resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
MDH lists 9 deaths as probable from COVID-19. This means that COVID-19 is listed on the death certificate but there is no positive test documented for the person.
A total of 2,709 cases have required hospitalization and 570 are hospitalized as of today. There are 258 patients in ICU as of today.
The age group of people between 30-39 years has the most cases with 4,397 and 4 deaths, followed by people ages 20-29 with 4,020 cases and zero deaths.
The age age group with the most deaths is in ages 80-89 with 1,126 cases and 305 deaths.
Hennepin County has the most cases with 7,421 cases and 549 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 2,551 cases and 98 deaths and Stearns County with 1,959 cases and 12 deaths.
In terms of likely exposure, 5,427 cases are linked to community exposure to someone who is known to have COVID-19, followed by 5,118 cases linked to congregate living, 4,646 of the cases are linked to community exposure without knowing someone who is known to have COVID-19, 1,356 cases are linked to healthcare staff and 725 cases are linked to travel. The exposure type of 4,688 cases is unknown.
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 companies in Minnesota are hiring. 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 hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
