ST PAUL, Minn. — Friday, Dec. 10
- MDH says 58 more deaths attributed to COVID-19
- COVID hospitalizations remain above 1,600 mark
- More than 8 million vaccine doses administered to date
- Second student dies from COVID-19 this year
11 a.m.
Thousands of new cases and dozens of new COVID-19 deaths were reported by the Minnesota Department of Health Friday.
According to MDH, 4,554 more people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 956,779.
On Friday, MDH officials reported 58 new COVID deaths.
The new fatalities reported include a person in their early 20s in Anoka County.
Minnesota's cumulative death total is at 9,872 since the pandemic began.
Health officials say 5,036 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
According to MDH's latest data available, 1,678 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 1,340 in non-ICU beds and 338 in the ICU.
MDH reported 8,194,196 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,689,184 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (70.8%). Of that number 3,435,045 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (65.9%).
Among children 5-11 years old, the most recent age group to get the green light for COVID vaccines, 133,783 kids have at least one shot (26%) and 63,292 have completed their vaccine series (12%).
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, 59.2% are Pfizer, 36.8% are Moderna and 3.9% are Johnson & Johnson.
Thursday, Dec. 9
6 p.m.
A second student has died due to coronavirus complications, according to a release put out by Education Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reports three students total have succumbed to the virus, two within this year alone.
“This is tragic news and I hope Minnesotans can pull together and do all we can to prevent another student from dying of this virus,” said Education Minnesota President Denise Specht. “We must stay strong and do all we can do to make school buildings safe places to learn and work.”
MDH says 18 school staff have also died throughout the pandemic, with ten having died in 2021.
Education Minnesota says it is hoping the state health department can provide more information pertaining to these cases, as well as the roughly 450 total students and staff that have been hospitalized due to the virus.
"This information would help school district decision-makers improve safety protocols for students and staff," says Education Minnesota.
11 a.m.
On Thursday, MDH officials reported 40 new COVID deaths and 3,754 new cases in the state.
The new fatalities reported include a person between the age of 35 and 39 in Hennepin County.
Minnesota's cumulative death total is at 9,814 since the pandemic began.
Health officials say 5,028 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
The cumulative total COVID cases in the state is now at 952,232 since the start of the pandemic.
According to MDH's latest data available, 1,653 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 1,323 in non-ICU beds and 330 in the ICU.
MDH reported 8,147,096 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,683,815 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (70.7%). Of that number 3,424,923 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (65.7%).
Among children 5-11 years old, the most recent age group to get the green light for COVID vaccines, 131,620 kids have at least one shot (26%) and 55,614 have completed their vaccine series (11%).
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, 59.2% are Pfizer, 36.8% are Moderna and 3.9% are Johnson & Johnson.
Wednesday, Dec. 8
12 p.m.
Governor Tim Walz announced a new campaign ahead of the holiday season.
"Celebrate Safely, Minnesota" is a statewide effort to help people get the resources they need to safely celebrate with family and friends this season.
The campaign will help Minnesotans find a test, vaccine or booster in the fight against COVID-19.
The state has secured an additional one million at-home rapid test kits for schools and child care providers, according to a press release.
Booster shots are being offered at the Mall of America vaccine site as well as other state-run and state-hosted 5 to 11 year old vaccine clinics, including those hosted at schools.
Officials said about 35 state school-based vaccination clinics for ages 5 to 11 will begin offering booster shots to parents of children receiving their first or second dose in December and the first week of January.
"This virus creates a lot of unknowns, but what we do know is that testing and getting your vaccine and booster are the best ways to protect yourself and those around you," said Governor Walz in the release. "I'm looking forward to holiday celebrations just like a lot of Minnesotans, but I know I have a personal responsibility to do my part to keep those around me safe—I encourage all Minnesotans to do the same."
11 a.m.
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 75 new COVID deaths in the state.
That brings the cumulative COVID-19 death total to 9,774 since the pandemic began.
Included among the new deaths are two victims in their early thirties in Carver and Ramsey Counties. The death toll includes one in September, two in October, 15 in November, and 57 this month.
According to MDH, 3,140 more people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 948,490.
COVID-19 hospitalizations remain high in Minnesota, with 1,642 people currently hospitalized.
ICU bed space continues to be low across the state.
There is just one pediatric ICU bed available in the central portion of the state, and eleven beds open in the metro.
Minnesota has administered 8,113,096 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Dec. 6, MDH says 3,679,928 Minnesotans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, or 70.6% of the eligible population.
Of those 5 and older, 3,418,018 people have completed their vaccine, or 65.6% of those eligible.
Among children 5-11 years old, the most recent age group to get the green light for COVID vaccines, 121,981 kids have at least one shot (25%) and 22,337 (10%) have completed their vaccine series.
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, 59.2% are Pfizer, 36.8% are Moderna and 3.9% are Johnson & Johnson.
Tuesday, Dec. 7
2:30 p.m.
As of Tuesday, Minnesota has vaccinated more than 25% of children ages 5 to 11-years-old, according to Gov. Tim Walz.
In the first month that this age group was eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, more than 128,000 children received at least one shot.
The governor's office says Minnesota is ranked first in the Midwest and sixth in the nation for the percentage of 5-11-year-old children who have at least one dose of their vaccine.
11:30 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 12,445 additional COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The large number includes cases from over the weekend, as MDH no longer reports data on Saturday or Sunday.
A total of 945,445 COVID-19 cases have been reported since the start of the pandemic in Minnesota, including approximately 11,000 re-infections. MDH notes on its website that its case counts do not include at-home test results.
MDH also reported 45 additional deaths attributed to COVID-19; three of those deaths occurred in October, 18 in November, and 24 in December.
Among the newly reported deaths is a person between the ages of 15 and 19 from Hennepin County, and two people in their mid-to-late 30s from Anoka County.
The department said a total of 9,699 Minnesotans have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Hospitalizations also spiked in Tuesday's report, with total hospitalizations crossing the 1,600 mark for the first time since December 2020. MDH reported 1,621 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday, with 335 of those patients receiving care in the ICU.
Also Tuesday, MDH said more than 8 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered statewide as of Sunday; that number includes more than 1.2 million Minnesotans who have received a third or booster dose.
The report also shows 70.5% of Minnesota's eligible population (age 5 or older) have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine thus far.
8:30 a.m.
The number of people hospitalized in intensive care in Minnesota has reached the highest level yet during the COVID pandemic.
Hospitals across the state are reporting a 98% occupancy rate in adult ICU beds when COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients are included. Nearly 350 people are receiving intensive care, according to data released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
A map shows there are currently zero ICU beds in the entire northeast region of the state, just one in western Minnesota, and only two open in the entire Twin Cities metro hospital system. MDH says as of last Friday 55 hospitals across Minnesota did not have an ICU bed available.