ST PAUL, Minn. — Sunday, Oct. 11
2 p.m.
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (WDHS) reported 2,676 new cases on Sunday. The total number of confirmed cases statewide is at 150,236 since the pandemic began.
Health officials reported 7 new deaths on Sunday, bringing the total of fatalities statewide to 1,465. The total number of fatalities is approximately 1% of those testing positive for the virus.
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.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6 Gov. Evers' administration issued a new order limiting the size of public indoor gatherings to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 8,398 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 5.6% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 24% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 15% are between 30 and 39, 14% are between 50 and 59, and 14% are 40 to 49. An estimated 12% are between 10 and 19, and 10% are between 60 and 69.
As of Sunday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of cases with 32,281 along with 549 deaths. Brown County has reported 11,801 cases and 75 deaths, and Dane County has reported 11,421 cases and 43 deaths.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,450 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 112,268.
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 2,141.
To date, 8,354 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2,291 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 100,171 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer need isolation.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 14,831 cases and one death, and ages 25-29 follow with 10,969 cases and three deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group at 366 out of 1,497 confirmed cases.
In terms of likely exposure to the coronavirus, MDH says 28,831 cases were the result of community transmission with no known contact with an infected person, and 25,255 had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case.
A total of 12,880 cases involved exposure in a congregate living setting, 1,760 were in a corrections setting, and 369 were in a homeless shelter. MDH data shows 10,195 were linked to an outbreak outside of congregate living or health care.
MDH says 9,976 cases were linked to travel. Health care workers or patients account for 3,700 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 30,218 cases with 953 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 12,302 cases and 335 deaths. Dakota County reports 8,493 cases and 132 deaths.
Saturday, Oct. 10
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (WDHS) reported 2,742 new cases on Saturday. The total number of confirmed cases statewide is at 147,560 since the pandemic began.
Health officials reported 18 new deaths on Saturday, bringing the total of fatalities statewide to 1,458. The total number of fatalities is approximately 1% of those testing positive for the virus.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 8,319 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 5.6% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
As of Saturday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of cases with 31,943 along with 549 deaths. Brown County has reported 11,709 cases and 75 deaths, and Dane County has reported 11,240 cases and 43 deaths.
More information is available here.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,537 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 110,828.
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 2,131.
To date, 8,302 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2,277 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 99,054 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer need isolation.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 14,710 cases and one death, and ages 25-29 follow with 10,820 cases and three deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group at 363 out of 1,468 confirmed cases.
Hennepin County has the most cases in the state at 29,929 cases with 951 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 12,170 cases and 335 deaths. Dakota County reports 8,400 cases and 130 deaths.
Friday, Oct. 9
- MDH reports more than 1,400 new cases for third time in two weeks
- No-barrier testing locations announced for week of Oct. 12
- Minnesota health officials warn of COVID-19 hotspots outside the metro
- Cases rising in long-term care facilities once again
2 p.m.
Minnesota's top health and education officials held a briefing call Friday to update the public on COVID-19 and its impacts across the state.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm said that the median age of cases has risen for the first time in months. Malcolm said that reflects secondary transmission from younger people to older, higher-risk Minnesotans.
The positivity rate, or the percentage of COVID tests that come back positive in Minnesota, has been at or above the "caution threshold" of 5% for about two weeks. Because of the lag period, Malcolm said health officials do not believe that will go down anytime soon.
"We have multiple warning lights on our dashboard and we need to take them seriously," MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said on Friday's call. "The hottest of our hotspots are now outside the metro area."
Martin and Pipestone are at over 10% test positivity for the last couple of weeks, Ehresmann said, which is double the "caution" rate.
"We know that there was a perception early on in this pandemic that COVID-19 was only a problem of the big cities," Ehresmann said.
She urged people in greater Minnesota to take masking, social distancing and avoiding crowds seriously.
Ehresmann said that after a summer of lower case numbers in long-term care facilities, those cases are increasing once again.
"We added 77 new cases today," she said. "We have days where we're adding over 100 new cases a day."
Ehresmann said the majority of those cases are in staff, and the transmission appears to be happening outside of the facility.
11 a.m.
New cases of COVID-19 continue to trend in a concerning direction in Minnesota, based on numbers released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Reports over the past 24 hours confirm 1,401 new cases of coronavirus, the third time in recent weeks single-day case numbers have topped 1,400. On September 26 MDH recorded 1,478 cases, and on October 3 the department reported 1,434. Friday's case numbers are based on a relatively heavy volume of 32,487 tests processed in private and state labs.
An additional 14 people have perished from the virus, bring Minnesota's total fatalities to 2,121 since the onset of the pandemic. Of those deaths 1,513, or 71% of them, occurred in long-term or assisted living settings.
Total hospitalizations from COVID-19 are now at 8,251, with 2,267 of them requiring care in the ICU. That means an additional 64 people were hospitalized with complication of the virus in the past day.
MDH says 97,715 people who at one time tested positive for coronavirus have recovered to the point they no longer require isolation.
Those between the ages of 20 and 24 make up Minnesota's largest grouping of COVID cases with 14,578 and one fatality, while people from 25 to 29 account for 10,664 and three deaths. People from 15 to 19 comprise 10,316 cases but zero fatalities.
Of Minnesota's deaths, the largest number comes from the group ages 85 to 89. MDH stats say 362 people from that demographic have died, out of just 1,450 cases diagnosed.
Hennepin County has the most COVID activity in the state with 29,661 cases and 951 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 12,027 cases and 333 fatalities. Dakota County reports 8,295 cases and 130 deaths.
Cook County in northeast Minnesota has the least COVID activity with eight cases and zero deaths, while Kittson County County reports 15 cases.
Thursday, Oct, 8
12 p.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) on Thursday added four more schools to its list of school buildings with five or more confirmed COVID cases:
- Horizon Middle School, Moorhead
- Grand Rapids Senior High, Grand Rapids
- Roosevelt Elementary, Willmar
- Rocori Senior High, Cold Spring
Those schools are in addition to the 7 buildings listed last week:
- Brainerd Senior High School, Brainerd
- Albert Lea Senior High School, Albert Lea
- Isanti Middle School, Isanti
- Fairmont Jr./Sr. High School, Fairmont
- Martin Luther High School, Northrop
- St. Paul Lutheran School , Fairmont
- Hinckley Elementary, Hinckley
MDH said it will remove schools from the list once no new cases have been reported for 28 days. Health officials have also emphasized that even though a school is on the list, it doesn't mean the COVID cases originated there, or that the schools have ongoing transmission.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,276 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, along with 8 newly reported deaths.
That brings Minnesota's death toll to 2,107 since the pandemic began.
A total of 8,187 people have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic, and 2,245 of those patients had cases severe enough to be treated in the ICU.
People ages 20-24 still represent the age group with the highest number of cases with 14,424, and one of the lowest death counts at one.
Teens 15-19 make up 10,207 positive tests, just below people 25-29 years old at 10, 543.
People in their 80s account for the highest number of deaths, with 699 fatalities out of just 3,134 cases.
10 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health is continuing its 4-week push of free, no-barrier COVID-19 testing across the state. On Thursday, it announced the test site locations for the week of Oct. 12. They are:
Anoka
Tuesday, Oct. 13; Wednesday, Oct. 14; Thursday, Oct. 15
12 to 7 p.m.
Anoka Armory
408 East Main Street
Anoka, MN
Anoka Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Faribault
Tuesday, Oct. 13; Wednesday, Oct. 14; Thursday, Oct. 15
12 to 6 p.m.
Faribault Armory
3000 West Airport Road
Faribault, MN
Faribault Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Luverne
Tuesday, Oct. 13; Wednesday, Oct. 14; Thursday, Oct. 15
12 to 6 p.m.
Grand Prairie Events
105 S Estey Street
Luverne, MN 56156
Luverne Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Alexandria
Tuesday, Oct. 13; Wednesday, Oct. 14; Thursday, Oct. 15
12 to 6 p.m.
Former Kmart Building
2310 Hwy 29 S
Alexandria, MN 56308
Alexandria Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
Aitkin
Tuesday, Oct. 13; Wednesday, Oct. 14; Thursday, Oct. 15
12 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday
12 to 3 p.m. on Thursday
The Journey North Community Church
810 2nd St NW
Aitkin, MN 56341
Aitkin Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
St. Cloud
Tuesday, Oct. 13; Wednesday, Oct. 14; Thursday, Oct. 15
12 to 6 p.m.
St. Cloud Rivers Edge Convention Center
10 4th Avenue South
St. Cloud, MN 56301
St Cloud Community COVID-19 Testing: Schedule Appointment
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.