ST PAUL, Minn. —
- MDH reports 31 new COVID-related deaths
- Allina Health relaxes visitor guidelines
- Mayo Clinic modeling shows COVID decline in coming weeks
- Minneapolis, St. Paul lift vaccine mandate on bars and restaurants
Friday, Feb. 18
11 a.m.
On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 31 new COVID-19 deaths in the state.
Minnesota's cumulative death total is at 11,961 since the pandemic began.
Health officials say 5,512 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Data shows that 93.7% of adult ICU beds were filled, while the percentage of non-ICU beds was at 94.0%. Pediatric bed openings are slightly better, with 87.7% of ICU beds being used and 93.9% of non-ICU beds for children filled.
According to MDH's latest data available, 801 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 675 in non-ICU beds and 126 in the ICU.
MDH reported 9,361,496 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,870,338 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (74.3%). Of that number 3,639,241 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (69.8%).
Among children 5-11 years old, 201,521 kids have at least one shot (40%) and 171,091 have completed their vaccine series (34%).
On Friday, 2,264 new COVID-19 cases in the state were announced, however health officials note that the number of new cases does not accurately portray the full extent and reality of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the latest surge being fueled by the more infectious omicron variant, at-home tests are not accounted for in MDH's data.
As you can see from the chart below reported COVID-19 cases have dropped sharply recently, according to data from MDH.
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Thursday, Feb. 17
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 27 new COVID-19 deaths in the state on Thursday.
The most recent available data shows that 93.2% of adult ICU beds across the state are filled, while the percentage of non-ICU beds was at 94.0%. Pediatric bed openings are slightly better, with 88.4% of ICU beds being used and 92.8% of non-ICU beds for children filled.
According to MDH's latest data available, 808 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 683 in non-ICU beds and 125 in the ICU.
MDH reported 9,354,559 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,869,659 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (74.2%). Of that number 3,637,197 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (69.8%).
Among children 5-11 years old, 201,172 kids have at least one shot (39%) and 170,035 have completed their vaccine series (33%).
In another COVID development, MDH announced Thursday that the department is expanding its free rapid test distribution program. This week MDH is providing an additional 347,000 no-cost tests to local public health agencies, tribal health, food shelves, and MDH COVID-19 Community Coordinators (CCCs) to serve their communities through February and March.
Each kit contains two tests.
Minnesota also offers free rapid testing at many of the state’s two dozen COVID-19 community testing sites.
Wednesday, Feb. 16
11 a.m.
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 41 new COVID-19 deaths in the state.
Minnesota's cumulative death total is at 11,903 since the pandemic began.
Health officials say 5,496 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Data shows that 93.8% of adult ICU beds in Minnesota are currently filled, while the percentage of non-ICU beds is at 93.9%. Pediatric bed openings are slightly better, with 82.9% of ICU beds being used and 89.8% of non-ICU beds for children filled across the state.
MDH reported 9,347,480 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,868,642 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (74.2%). Of that number 3,634,970 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (69.7%).
Tuesday, Feb. 15
2:15 p.m.
Citing decreasing COVID-19 cases throughout Minnesota, Allina Health announced Tuesday that the hospital system has moved from red to yellow visitor status. Under the yellow status, people in outpatient and inpatient settings are allowed to have one visitor per day, with some limited exceptions.
11 a.m.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 32 new COVID-19 deaths in the state.
Minnesota's cumulative death total is at 11,862 since the pandemic began.
Health officials say 5,484 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Data shows that 92.9% of adult ICU beds across the state are filled, while the percentage of non-ICU beds is at 93.5%. Pediatric bed openings are slightly better, with 82.9% of ICU beds in Minnesota being used and 88.4% of non-ICU beds for children filled.