ST PAUL, Minn. — Tuesday, Sept. 15
- School officials preach caution with sick kids
- Pelosi vows to keep House in session until COVID rescue package passes
- MDH has a website for resources for families and those in need of child care.
Numbers released by state health officials Tuesday show 432 Minnesotans have been newly diagnosed with COVID-19.
The new cases are based on the results of 9,672 tests reported by private and state labs over the past 24 hours. That brings Minnesota's total of coronavirus cases to 85,351 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reports that an additional five people have died from the virus, bringing fatalities to 1,927. Of those deaths 1,400, or 73% of them occurred in assisted living or long-term care settings.
As of Tuesday 238 people are in Minnesota hospitals being treated for COVID-19, with 131 showing symptoms serious enough to require treatment in the ICU. MDH says 78,953 people who at one time tested positive for coronavirus have recovered to the point they no longer require isolation.
Minnesotans between the ages of 20 and 24 continue to make up the largest number of cases in the state with 11,622. Only one person from that age group has died from the virus. Those between 25 and 29 account for 8,481 cases and 3 deaths, while people 15 to 19 now comprise 7,928 cases with zero deaths.
The age group with the most COVID-19 fatalities are Minnesotans from 85 to 89, with 328 deaths from just 1,164 diagnosed cases.
Hennepin County continues to see the most coronavirus activity with 25,018 cases and 908 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 10,145 cases and 313 fatalities. Dakota County reports 6,870 cases and 122 deaths.
Cook County, which is in far northeast Minnesota, has the least amount of COVID-19 activity with just six cases.
Monday, Sept. 14
2 p.m.
In their semi-regular news briefing on Monday, officials with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) discussed guidance for school attendance and staying home while sick as the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing into the new school year.
MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann emphasized the need for people of all ages to stay home when they're sick, and especially if they've been exposed to someone who's tested positive for COVID-19. MDH has posted a "decision tree" providing guidance for schools and child care programs.
"We need all parents and families to take this guidance seriously," Ehresmann said.
The guidance is presented in a flow chart, providing suggestions when people have just one symptom for COVID-19, or multiple symptoms, or if they've been exposed to someone who's tested positive.
"When precautions are taken, we can limit transmission," said Susan Klammer, MDH's K-12 school and child care leader.
"Typical cold symptoms are not typical cold symptoms this season, it's certainly possible they could be COVID," said Dr. Andrea Singh, Pediatrics Chair at Park Nicollet, who helped develop the guidance.
Elsewhere, Ehresmann discussed COVID-19 activity in higher education institutions, noting that there are three universities that have reported more than 100 cases in the past two weeks, including Minnesota State University-Mankato, Winona State University and Concordia College in Moorhead.
Ehresmann said MDH works with each institution to develop plans for reducing campus activities, reducing visitors, increasing testing and other strategies. She added that numbers are trending down in Mankato as a result of these measure.
Ehresmann also said it's important to point out that just because these cases involve college students, it doesn't necessarily mean that the transmission happened on campus.
On another subject, Ehresmann confirmed MDH is working with officials at a federal prison in Waseca, where more than 100 cases have been reported in recent days. Ehresmann said the outbreak appears to have been introduced from inmates transported to the facility from another state, who were infectious at the time they were transported. Ehresmann said there is no testing prior to transporting the inmates, who are under federal jurisdiction.
"It has resulted in some challenges," Ehresmann said.
11 a.m.
Reported COVID-19 hospitalizations are lower than they've been since early July, according to new numbers released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Currently, 233 people are being treated for the virus in Minnesota hospitals, 135 of them with symptoms serious enough to require care in the ICU. That's the lowest total number since July 10, when MDH reported 227 hospitalizations.
In total, 6,954 people have required in-patient care since the onset of the pandemic.
Health care officials say 643 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the past day, based on 17,152 tests completed in private and state labs. MDH says 78,238 people who at one time tested positive for the virus have recovered to the point they no longer require isolation.
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.
