ST PAUL, Minn. — Thursday, Oct. 14
- FDA panel debating Moderna, Johnson & Johnson COVID boosters
- Judge won't block vaccine mandate for MN health workers
- New community testing site to open in Morris, MN
- Biden: Vaccines for children should be available next month
- Dr. Anthony Fauci says families can feel safe trick-or-treating outdoors for Halloween as COVID-19 cases in the U.S. decline
- Hospitalizations near 1,000 for the first time since Dec. 2020
Data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) shows that COVID-19 deaths, cases and hospitalizations across the state remain consistently high as officials attempt to slow the highly transmissible delta variant.
MDH recorded 25 additional deaths from the virus in the last reporting period, with 24 of them taking place in October and one in September. Hennepin County reported four deaths and Faribault Counties experienced three deaths. Six of the fatalities involved people in their 50s.
Total deaths in the state have reached 8,379 since the start of the pandemic.
New cases are again near the 3,000 mark, with 2,919 reported Thursday. Those cases are based on results from 49,811 tests (37,753 PCR, 12,058 antigen) processed in private and state labs. Health officials consider a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen-rapid test is considered probable.
Minnesota has now recorded 752,060 total COVID cases since March of 2020.
Hospitalizations from the virus remain high across the state, with 983 people being treated on an inpatient basis as of Wednesday. Of those patients 255 are sick enough to require ICU treatment. The Twin Cities metro hospital system continues to struggle with capacity, as just 34 non-ICU beds are currently open (.9% of capacity), along with seven ICU beds (1.1% of supply).
The state vaccine dashboard says 74.1% of Minnesotans ages 16 and older have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine (3,433,212 people) with 70.6% of those having completed their shot series to be considered fully vaccinated (3,264,931 people).
MDH says 166,643 young people between the ages of 12 and 15 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021
11 a.m.
Daily COVID hospitalizations are inching closer to the 1,000 threshold as health officials keep a wary eye on Minnesota's ongoing battle with the virus and the delta variant.
Numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) show 990 people being treated for COVID on an inpatient basis as of Tuesday, 260 of them in ICU. It's the highest daily number since Dec. 23 of 2020, when 1,048 were reported hospitalized with the virus.
Bed availability is low in parts of the state, especially the Twin Cities metro where just 6 ICU beds are listed as open (.9% vacancy) and 49 non-ICU beds are vacant (1.3%).
In total, 39,447 people have been hospitalized with COVID in Minnesota since the pandemic began.
MDH reported 24 more deaths from the virus Wednesday, 21 of which occurred in the month of October and three in September. Of those deaths, three involved people in their 30s: Two recorded in Ramsey County, and one from Blue Earth County.
New cases dipped a bit in the most recent reporting period with 2,388 infections. Health officials say 1,825 of those cases were confirmed by PCR tests, while 563 are considered probable from antigen testing.
Minnesota's total cases are likely to top 750,000 by the end of the week (749,144 as of Wednesday).
The state vaccine dashboard says 6,644,085 total doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in Minnesota to date, with 59.3% of them Pfizer, 36.3% Moderna and 4.3% Johnson & Johnson. MDH says 3,262,423 people age 16 and older have completed their shot series and are considered fully vaccinated (70.6%), while 3,430,921 of those eligible have received at least one dose (an even 74%).
Only 166,459 children ages 12 to 15 have been immunized at least once.