ST PAUL, Minn. — Tuesday, July 28
- New numbers reflect most COVID-19 hospitalizations in a month's time
- MDH says Minnesota is in a 'vulnerable state' with trends in the wrong direction
- World's largest coronavirus vaccine study gets started in U.S.
- Minnesotans await Thursday decision on schools
New numbers from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reflect the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in a month.
Hospitals across the state are currently treating 294 patients for complications of the virus, the most since June 27. Of those patients, 138 have symptoms serious enough to require treatment in the ICU, the most in that category since June 29.
MDH reports 480 new cases of coronavirus in the state, based on 9,081 tests performed in private and state labs. That brings the total number of diagnosed cases in Minnesota since the start of the pandemic to 52,281.
Four more Minnesotans died from the virus in the past day, bringing state fatalities to 1,580. Of those, 1,210, or 77% of the total deaths occurred in long-term or assisted living facilities.
Health officials say 45,987 of those 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 29 continue to make up the largest group of COVID-19 cases in Minnesota with 12,406 and three deaths. People ages 30 to 39 comprise 9,690 cases and 12 deaths, while those in the 80 to 89 age group account for just 1,793 cases but 534 of the deaths.
Hennepin County has the most cases of any county with 16,661, and reports 808 deaths. Ramsey County has 6,416 cases and 254 deaths, while Dakota County has 3,565 cases and 102 deaths.
Monday, July 27
2 p.m.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Monday that Minnesota saw its highest single-day COVID-19 case count over the weekend.
The 875 new cases from Saturday represented the highest tally in one 24-hour period, according to Malcolm, excluding one day in July that was artificially high due to a changeover in the data system.
The median age of cases in Minnesota remains at 36 years old and has "fallen quite rapidly" over the last couple of months, Malcolm said.
Minnesota also surpassed the 50,000-case mark over the weekend.
Malcolm said that after the mask mandate went into effect on Saturday, MDH received more than 80 complaints over the weekend about people not following the rules.
"We know and appreciate that many people are concerned when they see violations of social distancing and masking," she said.
MDH Infectious Disease Division Director Kris Ehresmann said that number of complaints "wasn't a huge increase."
"The fact that we had 80 this weekend is within the realm of what we’ve seen in the past," she said. Ehresmann said a majority of the complaints over the past weekend were related to employees or patrons not wearing masks. One was about an employee wearing a "Halloween-type mask" rather than a cloth face mask.
Malcolm said MDH does not want Minnesota to experience the same "catastrophic" fast COVID-19 case growth that some other parts of the country have seen.
"We have it in our power to prevent that really rapid and uncontrolled spread by doing the right thing for each other," she said.
Ehresmann said they have noticed people holding outdoor gatherings like graduation parties in recent days. She acknowledged that outdoor settings are safer than indoor.
"It's important to keep in mind that when we do that, we're still thinking that people will be social distancing," she said. "That benefit of being outdoors really comes into question when you have people gathering closer than 6 feet."
At gatherings where it's difficult to keep 6 feet between people, Ehresmann said, masks are encouraged.
MDH keeps track of five "dial back indicators" online - factors they look at to determine whether Minnesota needs to begin rolling back some of the reopening measures. Three of the five are past the "caution" threshold as of Monday.
Malcolm pointed out that the indicators are based on a seven-day rolling average, so there is a "lag factor."
"We’re actually looking in the rearview mirror at where things were a week ago," she said. "These threshold levels have been set at a place that we think gives us a little bit of lead time to see where the trends are going and to begin to talk about mitigation measures of what to do."
Malcolm said MDH and Gov. Tim Walz have been "frankly signaling greater concern that these measures are going in the wrong direction."
She said that's why the governor issued a mask mandate, and why MDH has been repeating warnings frequently about wearing masks, keeping 6 feet between people, and avoiding close contact for a long duration, even outdoors.
"We do feel like we are in sort of a vulnerable state," Malcolm said.
She said if Minnesotans can understand the importance of complying with public health guidance, they can impact those rates within a few weeks.
"There could be a time when we do need to dial back if the things that we’re seeing continue to go in an unfavorable manner," Ehresmann said.
Malcolm addressed questions about the impending decision expected Thursday on whether students go back to school this fall.
"It’s very possible that schools will be using more than one model for the school year," she said.
Malcolm said the next few weeks are "critical" for following public health guidance.
"The trends of the last few weeks have made this analysis more challenging because we know that what happens in the larger community affects what happens in the schools," she said. "It certainly affects the confidence levels of everyone about that question."
11 a.m.
Cases of coronavirus have now been reported in every Minnesota county, with Lake of the Woods finally getting its first confirmed case.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 650 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths on Monday.
The new cases were reported out of a daily testing volume of 13,542. Testing volumes and by extension new case numbers tend to be lower early in the week, as fewer people go in for testing over the weekend.
MDH reports that 257 people are hospitalized, with 126 of them in the ICU. That's the second day in a row that hospitalizations have decreased, but the highest number of ICU cases in five days.
People ages 20-29 have now far surpassed other ages as the largest group of COVID-19 cases, with 12,288 as of Monday. The next-largest group is people in their 30s with 9,610. People ages 80-89 account for the highest number of deaths in one age group, at 533.
Community exposure with no known contact with a COVID-19 case now accounts for more cases than any other cause. That number is a key indicator for state health officials deciding whether to roll back Minnesota's reopening measures.
MDH and Gov. Tim Walz hope the new statewide mask mandate will help to quell that community spread. Monday is the first weekday it's in effect, after it officially started on Saturday.
Parents, teachers, students and others across the state are awaiting a Thursday decision on whether students will go back into classrooms this fall.
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.
