ST PAUL, Minn. — Tuesday, June 9
- COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota stand at 1,217, hospitalizations steady
- MDH clarifies public health guidance for youth sports
- Marny Xiong, St, Paul School Board chair, dies after COVID-19 battle at the age of 31
New numbers released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) show fatalities from COVID-19 have passed another milestone, exceeding the 1,200 mark.
MDH says 20 more Minnesotans have perished from the virus, pushing the total since the pandemic started to 1,217. Of that number 968, or just under 80%, have occurred in long-term or assisted living settings.
Another 307 Minnesotans tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24-hour reporting period, elevating to 28,523 the number of total confirmed cases in the state. A total of 360,991 tests have been performed since COVID-19 arrived in Minnesota, 7,779 in the past day.
Those between the ages of 30 and 39 account for the largest number of confirmed cases with 5,787. People between 20 and 29 make up 5,355 cases. Those ages 80 to 89 account for just 1,374 of the confirmed cases but 419 deaths, 34% of Minnesota's total.
Hospitalizations seem to have leveled off, with steady numbers the past three days. At this time 455 people are being treated for symptoms of the virus in hospitals across the state, with 199 of them showing symptoms serious enough to require treatment in the ICU.
MDH says 24,221 people who at one time tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered enough that they no longer require isolation.
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The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Monday, June 8
2 p.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported Monday that a person in their 20s with no apparent underlying health conditions has died from COVID-19 in the state.
That's the second such death so far in the pandemic, according to MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm.
MDH does not have evidence that those people did not seek care fast enough. MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said they were not in congregate care and "don't fit any of the historical profiles that we've seen in any other younger deaths."
Ehresmann said anyone who is symptomatic and having trouble breathing should contact their health care provider.
Malcolm said that the trend in Minnesota is toward stable hospitalization and ICU numbers, but there is "lag time" between people contracting COVID-19, feeling symptoms, and then seeking a test or care.
"Unfortunately we do see a number of people, conditions, getting worse with time instead of better," she said.
Ehresmann said they've seen people with a mild illness that days later becomes more severe and then requires hospitalization.
"We also are concerned because we have seen deaths in healthy younger adults, and so that is very sobering," she said. "So I think that you know, we take encouragement anytime the numbers look better but by the same token we're still monitoring things. This is a new virus and so we're continuing to be cautious in how we're doing things."
Malcolm provided some clarity on guidelines for youth sports, since Gov. Tim Walz announced Minnesota's move to "phase three" and loosened restrictions around the state this Wednesday.
"Different sports carry different risks of COVID-19 transmission," Malcolm said, citing the different contact levels.
Malcolm said they hope to be able to resume games in medium-risk sports by the end of June. The guidelines, as well as which sports are considered medium and high risk, are available on the state's Stay Safe website.
Malcolm said they plan to set up COVID-19 testing sites in some neighborhoods where large protests and gatherings were held over the death of George Floyd in recent weeks.
Ehresmann acknowledged that the questions investigators have to ask can be sensitive, and that if people aren't comfortable giving names of people they've been in contact with, MDH can give them information to pass along to those people instead.
"There's a lot of public education to be done about why this is so important, to help protect not only individuals themselves but their loved ones and the larger community," Malcolm said. "So we will be doing much more with community education."
Ehresmann said the situation around whether students will return to schools in-person in Minnesota is "constantly evolving."
"Part of the goal is to make sure that there are options available for the fall so that there's time to plan, but we can be nimble if we have to make an adaptation," she said.
The guidance from MDH is "forthcoming," Ehresmann said, but it's been slowed as they keep learning new things about the virus.
"Continued scenario planning is our best advice at this moment," Malcolm said.
MDH does not have data on how COVID-19 will respond to warm weather in the summer, Ehresmann said.
"We haven't gone through a full year with the virus so we haven't seen the change in seasons," she said. "If we do see a positive change with the summer weather that would certainly be welcome, but then we'd have to consider what another change in season would mean."
11 a.m.
For the second straight day the number of Minnesotans being treated in the ICU for COVID-19 is below the 200 mark, according to new numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Monday.
Currently 452 people are being treated in hospitals across the state, with 198 of them suffering symptoms serious enough to require treatment in the ICU. Those numbers reflect an overall downturn in hospitalization numbers.
MDH says an additional 338 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24-hour reporting period, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 28,224 since the pandemic began. Of those testing positive, 2,973 are health care workers.
Eleven more people perished from the virus in the last day, bringing Minnesota's total of fatalities to 1,197. Of those deaths, 955, or 80% of them involve people in long-term or assisted living settings.
The number of coronavirus tests processed in private or state labs in the past 24 hours is 10,023, bringing the statewide total to 354,226. Currently 23,657 people who at one time tested positive have recovered enough to no longer require isolation.
Hennepin County reports the highest impact of COVID-19 with 9,480 confirmed cases and 681 deaths. Ramsey County has 3,553 confirmed cases with 158 deaths, and Stearns County 2,071 cases with 16 fatalities. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kittson, Lake and Stevens Counties report just one confirmed case apiece.
