ST PAUL, Minn. — Sunday, Jan. 31
- MDH: More than 400,000 Minnesotans with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose
- Numerous seniors receive vaccine appointment cancellation message in error
- Pandemic blamed for 62% reduction in 2020 passenger traffic at MSP Airport
- Blaine community COVID vaccination clinic experiences delays, "process issues"
- State opens mass vaccination site in St. Paul for educators only
2 p.m.
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (WDHS) reported 1,007 new cases Sunday, bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic began to 542,415.
Health officials reported three new deaths on Sunday as the total number of fatalities rose to 5,896, approximately 1.1% of those who are infected with the virus.
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted to repeal Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate, which took effect in August and is slated to run until March 20. Both legislative chambers have to pass the resolution in order to undo the mask requirement. The Assembly, controlled 58-30 by Republicans, scheduled it for a vote Thursday but called that vote off after it was revealed that the state would lose nearly $50 million in federal funding to feed the hungry.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 24,298 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 4.5% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 18.9% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 15.6% are between 30 and 39, 15.2% are between 50 and 59, and 14.2% are 40 to 49. An estimated 11.4% are between 10 and 19, and 10.9% are between 60 and 69.
As of Sunday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of confirmed cases with 94,946, along with 1,136 deaths. Waukesha County has reported 39,050 confirmed cases and 446 deaths, Dane County has reported 37,949 confirmed cases and 251 deaths, and Brown County has reported 29,324 cases and 197 deaths.
11 a.m.
A day after passing 100,000 Minnesotans with at both COVID-19 vaccine doses, the state has reached another milestone: more than 400,000 with at least one dose.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health's latest data (current as of Jan. 29), a total of 418,299 people in the state have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Almost 112,000 have received the full series of two doses. MDH also reported that 14,729 doss were administered at the nine pilot sites across the state from Thursday through Saturday.
You can view Minnesota's vaccine dashboard here.
Meanwhile, the state's new COVID-19 case totals dipped to 996 for the past day. MDH reported 13 new deaths, a slight decrease from the day before.
MDH's COVID-19 case definition includes both antigen testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Positive PCR test results are considered confirmed cases, while positive antigen test results are considered probable cases.
Sunday's new case total includes 846 confirmed cases and 150 probable cases.
The total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began is now 461,807, with 20,029 of those as antigen test results.
MDH says 13 new deaths from the virus were reported. That pushes the total number of fatalities in Minnesota to 6,200.
To date, 24,308 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 5,040 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 446,137 people once diagnosed with the virus have passed the point where they are required to isolate.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 46,455 cases and three deaths, and ages 25-29 follow with 41,535 cases and six deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group with 1,184 out of 6,045 diagnosed cases.
In terms of likely exposure to the coronavirus, MDH says 100,751 cases were the result of community transmission with no known contact with an infected person, and 93,625 had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case.
A total of 38,071 cases involved exposure in a congregate living setting,
7,854 were in a corrections setting, and 983 were in a homeless shelter. MDH data shows 18,131 were linked to an outbreak outside of congregate living or health care.
MDH says 31,319 cases were linked to travel. Health care workers or patients account for 14,155 diagnosed COVID-19 cases. The source of transmission for 156,918 cases is still unknown or missing.
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 or even asymptomatic to be tested. Testing locations can be found online.
Hennepin County has had the most COVID activity in the state with 95,801 cases and 1,529 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 41,201 cases and 764 deaths, Dakota County with 34,166 cases and 364 deaths, and Anoka County with 31,777 cases and 372 deaths.
Full data, including a breakdown of PCR and antigen test totals in some categories, can be found on MDH's website.
The Minnesota Department of Health has said repeatedly that the number of lab-confirmed cases is only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the true number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal at mn.gov/covid19.
Saturday, Jan. 30
2 p.m.
Minnesota is ending January with a new milestone: more than 100,000 people in the state have completed their series of COVID-19 vaccine doses.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health's latest data, a total of 105,361 people have received both doses. A total of 381,204 have received at least one dose. As there is a several-day delay in releasing vaccination numbers, these totals are from Jan. 28, but were reported Saturday morning.
You can view Minnesota's vaccine dashboard here.
Also on Saturday, state officials said thousands of Minnesotans received a message stating that their COVID-19 appointments were canceled. According to MDH, those who received the message in error were notified that their appointments were still scheduled.
The software vendor that runs Minnesota's online vaccination scheduling program released a statement apologizing for the error, adding that it took full responsibility.
As for other COVID-19 updates, MDH reported 1,087 new cases and 19 new deaths on Saturday.
MDH's COVID-19 case definition includes both antigen testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Positive PCR test results are considered confirmed cases, while positive antigen test results are considered probable cases.
The new case total includes 933 confirmed cases and 154 probable cases.
The total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began is now 460,819, with 19,880 of those as antigen test results.
MDH says 19 new deaths from the virus were reported. That pushes the total number of fatalities in Minnesota to 6,187.
To date, 24,269 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 5,034 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 444,782 people once diagnosed with the virus have passed the point where they are required to isolate.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 46,363 cases and three deaths, and ages 25-29 follow with 41,454 cases and six deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group with 1,182 out of 6,038 diagnosed cases.
In terms of likely exposure to the coronavirus, MDH says 100,410 cases were the result of community transmission with no known contact with an infected person, and 93,330 had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case.
A total of 37,986 cases involved exposure in a congregate living setting,
7,833 were in a corrections setting, and 982 were in a homeless shelter. MDH data shows 18,131 were linked to an outbreak outside of congregate living or health care.
MDH says 31,193 cases were linked to travel. Health care workers or patients account for 13,997 diagnosed COVID-19 cases. The source of transmission for 156,957 cases is still unknown or missing.
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 or even asymptomatic to be tested. Testing locations can be found online.
Hennepin County has had the most COVID activity in the state with 95,579 cases and 1,526 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 41,132 cases and 762 deaths, Dakota County with 34,045 cases and 361 deaths, and Anoka County with 31,709 cases and 371 deaths.
Full data, including a breakdown of PCR and antigen test totals in some categories, can be found on MDH's website.
The Minnesota Department of Health has said repeatedly that the number of lab-confirmed cases is only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the true number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal at mn.gov/covid19.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (WDHS) reported 1,493 new cases Saturday, bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic began to 541,408.
Health officials reported 33 new deaths on Saturday as the total number of fatalities rose to 5,893, approximately 1.1% of those who are infected with the virus.
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted to repeal Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate, which took effect in August and is slated to run until March 20. Both legislative chambers have to pass the resolution in order to undo the mask requirement. The Assembly, controlled 58-30 by Republicans, scheduled it for a vote Thursday but called that vote off after it was revealed that the state would lose nearly $50 million in federal funding to feed the hungry.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 24,243 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 4.5% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 18.9% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 15.6% are between 30 and 39, 15.2% are between 50 and 59, and 14.2% are 40 to 49. An estimated 11.4% are between 10 and 19, and 10.9% are between 60 and 69.
As of Saturday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of confirmed cases with 94,752, along with 1,135 deaths. Waukesha County has reported 38,993 confirmed cases and 446 deaths, Dane County has reported 37,848 confirmed cases and 251 deaths, and Brown County has reported 29,283 cases and 197 deaths.
A more detailed breakdown of cases by county can be found on the DHS website.
The first positive case of COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin was reported in a patient in Dane County in early February.
Friday, Jan. 29
While new cases of COVID-19 seem to have stabilized a bit in recent days, the virus continues to claim the lives of Minnesotans.
Data released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) shows 28 more deaths from coronavirus were recorded in the last day, up from 16 Thursday and single digits earlier in the week. That brings the total of lives lost in the state to 6,168 since the pandemic began.
MDH reported 1,145 more COVID cases, bringing Minnesota's total to 459,747. The new cases were based on the results of 44,777 tests (41,032 PCR, 3,745 antigen) processed in private and state labs. Health officials consider a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
Vaccination numbers will continue to grow as community clinics process those ages 65 and over in coming days, but as of Wednesday 345,636 people across Minnesota have received at least one dose of vaccine, with an additional 96,842 having completed the two-dose series.
The state has set a goal of having 90% of health providers administer the doses they receive within three days. Right now, that number stands at 74%.
Despite an overall reduction in new cases, hospitalization rates remain fairly steady. As of Thursday 450 beds across the state were being used to treat coronavirus patients, with 95 of those beds in the ICU. The number of open beds in Twin Cities metro hospitals remains fairly low, with just 131 non-ICU beds currently available, a 3.6% availability rate. ICU beds are better, with an availability rate of 7.8%.
In total 24,200 people have been hospitalized since the arrival of COVID-19, with 5,024 patients requiring treatment in the ICU.
MDH says 443,253 people who at one point tested positive for the virus have improved enough that they no longer need to isolate.
Young adults between the ages of 20 and 29 account for the largest grouping of coronavirus cases, with 87,641 and nine fatalities. Those cases are just under 20% of Minnesota's total. Those between 85 and 89 make up the largest group of deaths, with 1,174 in just 6,025 cases. That means nearly two in ten people from that demographic who test positive for COVID-19 have died from it.
Hennepin County has registered the most COVID activity in the state with 95,383 cases and 1,522 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 41,043 cases and 760 deaths, Dakota County with 33,962 cases and 358 deaths, and Anoka County with 31,657 cases and 371 fatalities.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota remains the county with the least COVID activity, recording zero deaths in 116 cases..
Thursday, Jan. 28
1:45 p.m.
Gov. Tim Walz visited a community vaccination clinic northwest of the Twin Cities metro on Thursday.
The governor walked around chatting with people who were receiving a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, thanking them for their patience in waiting for the vaccine rollout to reach them.
One woman who was there to receive a vaccine commented, "Hallelujah. It feels like Christmas, Easter and everything."
While he toured, Gov. Walz told one person that Minnesota is getting 16% more doses next week. He said in general the predictability is increasing with federal allocations, and state officials can see three weeks ahead to determine their incoming supply.
11 a.m.
For a second consecutive day new COVID-19 cases across the state are trending higher, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Health officials say 1,335 additional people have been reported in the last day as testing positive, based on results from 47,725 tests (42,564 PCR, 5,161 antigen) processed in private and state labs. A positive PCR test is considered a confirmed case by MDH, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
On Monday and Tuesday new cases were under 800, and by Wednesday they had popped up to 851.
Testing volume reported Thursday was more than double Wednesday's amount. Minnesota's total positive COVID cases are up to 458,633 since the pandemic began, with 19,581 of those cases tied to antigen tests.
An additional 16 people have died from the virus, bringing the state total to 6,140. Of those deaths 3,900, or 63% of them are associated with long-term care or assisted living settings.
As of Tuesday the number of Minnesotans who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine has reached 320,347, and that number should go up steadily as the state increases efforts to vaccinate residents 65 and older. MDH says 85,217 people have completed the two-shot vaccine series.
Total hospitalizations in the state due to coronavirus are up to 24,126 since the pandemic began, with 5,015 of those patients requiring care in the ICU.
MDH says 442,600 people who at one time tested positive for the virus have improved to the point they no longer require isolation.
Young adults make up the largest groupings of COVID cases among Minnesotans, with people between 20 and 24 accounting for 46,168 cases and three deaths, and those 25 to 29 numbering 41,253 cases and six deaths.
The largest age demographic of deaths involves people between 85 and 89, with 1,169 fatalities in just 6,013 diagnosed cases.
More females have tested positive for the virus than males by a small margin, with 235,633 cases to 220,788 for men.
Hennepin County remains the busiest county in the state when it comes to COVID activity with 95,126 cases and 1,513 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 40,916 cases and 756 deaths, Dakota County with 33,846 cases and 358 deaths, and Anoka County with 31,580 cases and 369 fatalities.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota reports the least COVID activity with just 116 cases and zero deaths since the pandemic began.
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The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.
