ST PAUL, Minn. — Friday, November 12
- MDH reports 28 new deaths, 4,849 new cases
- US lifts international pandemic travel ban
- Minnesota launches new website with info on COVID vaccines for kids
- State partners with skilled-nursing facility to offer hospitals overwhelmed by COVID relief
- State health officials announce plan to vaccinate children
11 a.m.
On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 4,849 new COVID cases and 28 new deaths in the state.
The cumulative total cases in the state is now at 841,625 since the start of the pandemic.
During a call with reporters Wednesday MDH officials said the amount of virus and spike in cases has them concerned, especially as people are starting to think about holiday get-togethers. Health officials said another factor is that people's immunity may also be waning, especially if they got vaccinated more than six months ago.
RELATED: COVID-19 in Minnesota is a 'rapidly expanding outbreak' as MDH reports thousands of new cases
Of the 28 newly reported deaths, one of the victims was a person between the ages of 25 and 29 in Hennepin County.
The cumulative death total is now at 8,996 for the state.
Health officials say 4,835 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
According to MDH's latest data available, 1,245 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 949 in non-ICU beds and 296 in the ICU.
MDH reported 7,271,619 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,522,489 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (67.6%). Of that number 3,311,952 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (63.5%).
The percentage of people age 16 and older having received at least one shot is now at 75.4%.
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, 59.4% are Pfizer, 36.4% are Moderna and 4.2% are Johnson & Johnson.
Thursday, November 11
11 a.m.
On Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported nearly identical elevated numbers of COVID cases and deaths as the day before.
Forty-three new COVID deaths and 5,123 new cases in the state are the totals for Thursday, while on Wednesday it was 43 deaths and 5,277 cases.
Health officials say the department continues to face a backlog of reporting new COVID-19 cases and is requiring more staff to alleviate the situation over the next few days.
The cumulative total COVID cases in the state is now at 836,787 since the start of the pandemic.
Of the 43 newly reported deaths, one was a person between the ages of 30 and 34 in Douglas County.
The cumulative death total is now at 8,968 for the state. Health officials say 4,829 deaths (54% of total) have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
MDH reported 7,232,883 total doses of vaccine have now been administered in the state, with 3,512,944 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (67.4%). Of that number 3,309,462 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (63.5%).
The percentage of people age 16 and older across the state having received at least one shot is now at 75.3%.
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, 59.5% are Pfizer, 36.3% are Moderna and 4.2% are Johnson & Johnson.
According to the MDH website, hospitalization numbers have not yet been updated. Wednesday's report shows 1,159 people were being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 902 in non-ICU beds and 257 in the ICU.
Wednesday, November 10
1 p.m.
Public health leaders briefed members of the media Wednesday afternoon on the current state of COVID-19 in Minnesota.
"As we come up on holidays we're finding ourselves at a difficult point. Although vaccination numbers continue to rise, the highly contagious delta variant is driving Minnesota's COVID case numbers to alarmingly high level at same time. Hospitals remain crowded, many don't have vaccine protection. With that in mind, we are encouraging all Minnesotans to think carefully about holiday plans," said MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann.
State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and Ehresmann said everyone needs to recognize how serious this pandemic is and to be more vigilant about protection.
"This spike is bad, it's scary, but it would be so much worse if it weren't for the fact that most Minnesotans have protection of vaccine. But many people are still not protected," said Malcolm.
Senior Equity Advisor to the Commissioner, Dr. Nathan Chomilo, discussed the timeline for vaccines being approved for kids 5 and under.
"My understanding is Pfizer planned to submit data next month potentially for 2 to 5-year-olds and early 2022 for 6 months to 2-year-olds," said Dr. Chomilo.
11 a.m.
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported more than 40 new COVID deaths and 5,277 new cases in the state.
Health officials say the department continues to face a backlog of new reported COVID-19 cases, and will require more staff to alleviate the situation over the next few days.
The cumulative total COVID cases in the state is now at 831,669 since the start of the pandemic.
MDH reported 43 new deaths from the virus, bringing the cumulative death total to 8,925 since the pandemic began. Health officials say 4,825 of those deaths (54%) have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
The new fatalities reported include two people between the age of 45 and 49 in Anoka County.
According to MDH's latest data available, 1,159 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 902 in non-ICU beds and 257 in the ICU.
MDH reported 7,195,503 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,505,911 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (67.3%). Of that number 3,307,336 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (63.5%).
The percentage of people age 16 and older having received at least one shot is now at 75.3%.
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, 59.5% are Pfizer, 36.3% are Moderna and 4.2% are Johnson & Johnson.
Meanwhile, state health officials plan to hold a news conference call at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Tuesday, November 9
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced Tuesday that it is facing a backlog of reporting new COVID-19 cases and requiring more staff to alleviate the situation over the next few days.
Tuesday's updated MDH blog states:
"On 11/9/21, newly reported cases does not include cases awaiting intake processing. Over the past weekend COVID-19 case growth exceeded intake capacity, resulting in a temporary backlog. We are taking steps to increase staff capacity, but we anticipate this backlog will impact newly reported cases for the next few days."
MDH no longer shares data on weekends, so the numbers released on Tuesdays - even before the backlog - covered the span from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday.
On Tuesday, state health officials reported 7,173 new COVID cases in the state. That brings total recorded infections to 826,404.
Twenty more people have died, bringing the cumulative COVID-19 death total to 8,882 since the pandemic began. The new fatalities reported include a person between the ages of 45 and 49 in Ramsey County.
Health officials say 4,809 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Officials say a total of 1,122 people are currently hospitalized and being treated for the virus on an inpatient basis. Of those patients, 249 require ICU care.
Total hospitalizations since the arrival of COVID have risen to 42,328.
MDH reported 7,169,595 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,499,399 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot. (67.1%) Of that number 3,339,947 have completed their vaccine sequence and are considered fully vaccinated (64.1%).
The percentage of people age 16 and older having received at least one shot is now at 75.2%.
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, nearly 60% are Pfizer, 36.3% are Moderna and just 4.2% are Johnson & Johnson.
Monday, November 8
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 4,253 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, as the impact of the virus continues to be felt around the state. That is the highest single-day total since Dec. 12, 2020.
Since the pandemic began, 819,239 cases have been reported in Minnesota.
MDH also reported 34 additional deaths from COVID-19. The cumulative death total is now at 8,862 since the pandemic began. One of those deaths involved a person in their mid-to-late 20s from Isanti County. Dakota and Hennepin Counties each recorded four COVID deaths, while Anoka County reported three.
According to MDH's latest data available, 990 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state with 763 in non-ICU beds and 227 in the ICU.
Total hospitalizations since the arrival of COVID have risen to 42,154.
MDH reported 7,095,570 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state as of Thursday, with 3,486,863 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot. Of that number 3,324,361 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated.
75.1% of Minnesotans age 16 and older have received at least one shot.
Friday, November 5
11 a.m.
Friday marks the third day in a row of a high number of new deaths from COVID-19, according to the Minnesota Department of Health's (MDH) latest data. MDH reported 43 deaths on Wednesday, 32 on Thursday and 35 on Friday.
MDH also reported the cumulative death total is now at 8,828 since the pandemic began.
Updated data shows 3,378 new COVID cases were reported Friday, which continues a higher total number of cases than in weeks past.
The cumulative total cases in the state is now at 815,008 since the start of the pandemic.
According to MDH's latest data available, 982 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 747 in non-ICU beds and 235 in the ICU.
On Wednesday, total hospitalizations went over the one thousand mark (1,004) for the first time since Oct. 15, when 1,008 were receiving inpatient treatment.
Total hospitalizations since the arrival of COVID have risen to 42,072.
MDH reported 7,077,652 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,481,565 people age 5 and older having received at least one shot (66.8%). Of that number 3,331,634 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (63.9%).
75% of Minnesotans age 16 and older have received at least one shot.
The state vaccine dashboard says of the total doses that have been administered in Minnesota, nearly 60% are Pfizer, 36.2% are Moderna and just 4.2% are Johnson & Johnson.