ST PAUL, Minn. — Thursday March 4
- Vikings partnering with state for COVID vaccine clinic at TCO performance Center in Eagan
- Walz: First doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine arrived in Minnesota Wednesday
- MDH reports 17 COVID deaths, most since Feb. 12
- Biden says all U.S. adults should have vaccine access by end of May
- Vaccines administered last Thursday, Friday exceed 127,000 doses
11 a.m.
Data released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Thursday show new COVID case numbers inching closer to the 1,000 mark, part of a weekly pattern that shows both cases and testing volume increasing as the week goes on.
MDH recorded 949 positive tests in the past day, pushing the total number of cases to 487,374 since the pandemic began. The cases reported Thursday are based on results from 68,840 tests (63,016 PCR, 5,824 antigen) processed in private and state labs.
That testing volume is huge, and there's a reason why. MDH spokesman Doug Schultz says Thursday's testing numbers include results from approximately 31,000 previously unreported tests uncovered by an MDH audit, that revealed four private labs had been failing to properly report test results as they are required to do by law.
The additions to Thursday's reported tests come from three of those private labs, and MDH expects the number of tests to bump up by approximately 2,300 when the fourth identified lab submits their unreported data.
Schultz says MDH is continuing to investigate the private labs’ failure to follow legal reporting requirements, why they failed to report these tests, and how their failure impacted other COVID data metrics.
In all, Schultz says 7.5 million COVID-19 tests have been reported in Minnesota, from 215 different labs.
Deaths attributed to COVID are in double digits for the second day in a row, with 14 fatalities reported. That brings Minnesota's total coronavirus deaths to 6,521.
The state vaccine dashboard says 25,133 people were vaccinated Tuesday (the most recent numbers available) pushing the total number of Minnesotans who have received at least one dose to 948,127. That's 17% of Minnesota's population. MDH says 500,188 people have now completed the two-shot series.
Of those ages 65 and over, 56% have received at least one COVID shot. Governor Walz and state health officials will open vaccinations up to other groups once 70% of those 65-plus have completed the series.
Minnesota should pass the milestone of 1 million people receiving a first dose within the next few days, as providers dispense new shipments that include more than 45,000 doses from Johnson & Johnson.
According to the state, more than 1.4 million total doses have been given out already.
Total hospitalizations to treat COVID are up to 25,896, with 5,344 of those patients requiring ICU care.
Young adults between ages 20 and 24 account for the largest group of Minnesota's cases with 48.462. Three people from that age group have died of the virus. The demographic with the most COVID deaths are those between 85 and 89, with 1,232 fatalities in 6,258 diagnosed cases.
Hennepin County has seen the most COVID activity in the state with 101,110 cases and 1,588 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 43,212 and 805 deaths, Dakota County with 36,478 cases and 392 deaths, and Anoka County with 33,391 cases and 390 deaths.
Cook County reports the least COVID activity with 118 cases since the pandemic arrived in Minnesota.
9 a.m.
The state of Minnesota announced it is partnering with the Minnesota Vikings to offer the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine to health care workers and the 65+ age group at the Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) Performance Center starting this week.
“This partnership with the Minnesota Vikings helps us move the ball down the field in the fight to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” Governor Tim Walz said in a statement. “This one-and-done vaccine is safe, highly effective, and helps us more quickly provide immunity to Minnesotans including to our courageous health care providers and our older neighbors.”
Johnson & Johnson's single-dose shot is the third COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in the United States. The drug received emergency use authorization from the FDA on Feb. 27 and more than 45,000 doses arrived in Minnesota on Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 3
2 p.m.
Gov. Walz announced that the first doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Minnesota. You can watch his full speech here or on KARE 11's YouTube page.
In a press release, the governor's office said Minnesota will receive 45,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week. Immunizations will begin after doses are shipped to Minnesota providers.
In a briefing Tuesday, MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine's unique characteristics, like less stringent handling measures and single-dose administration, make it a good possibility for people who may have difficulty returning for their second dose. However, she said all of the authorized vaccines will be available for eligible Minnesotans.
11 a.m.
Data released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) show the state's COVID-19 numbers remaining fairly low with the exception of fatalities, which bumped into the double-digits.
Health officials say 17 people died of the virus during the last reporting period, the most since Feb. 12 when 19 fatalities were recorded. Minnesota's total COVID-related deaths have now risen to 6,507 since the beginning of the pandemic.
New COVID cases bumped up a few hundred from Tuesday, with MDH reporting 788 people that tested positive. The jump mirrors the normal weekly pattern, where the volume of testing and case numbers see an uptick starting Wednesday and generally peaking Friday.
The new cases are based on results from 20,512 tests (17,505 PCR, 3,007 antigen) processed in private and state labs. That's almost double the testing volume reported Tuesday.
Current hospitalizations remain steady with 243 people being treated in hospitals across the state as of Tuesday, 57 of them sick enough to require ICU treatment. Bed availability is up across the Twin Cities hospital system, with a 4.8% vacancy rate (177 open beds).
Total hospitalizations since the virus arrived in Minnesota are up to 25,863, with 5,340 of those patients in the ICU.
MDH reports that 473,252 people that at one time tested positive for coronavirus no longer need to isolate.
The state vaccination dashboard says as of Monday 928,963 people had received at least one dose of vaccine, 16.7% of Minnesota's population. Of those people 484,383 have completed the two-shot immunization series. On Monday providers immunized 17,941 people across the state, a number that will grow significantly as new shipments of arrive, including an anticipated 42,000 doses of the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Of Minnesotans ages 65 and up, 54.4% have received at least one immunization against COVID.
Governor Tim Walz has scheduled a press conference Wednesday at 2 p.m., where he will detail the arrival of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses in Minnesota. KARE 11 will carry it on our website, and share on our social media platforms.
Young adults ages 20 to 24 are linked to the largest group of coronavirus cases with 48,408 and three deaths. COVID has had the most devastating impact on Minnesota's oldest residents, as one would anticipate: Those ages 85 to 89 have suffered 1,231 deaths in 6,255 cases, followed by those 80 to 84 with 1,059 deaths in 7,989 cases, and 90 to 94-year-olds with 1,059 deaths in 4,218 cases.
The least COVID activity in the state has been recorded by Cook County in northeast Minnesota, with just 118 cases. Hennepin County has reported the most with 100,913 cases and 1,586 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 43,165 cases and 803 deaths, Dakota County with 36,375 cases and 392 deaths, and Anoka County with 33,335 cases and 388 fatalities.
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, and kare11.com/vaccine for answers to all of your questions about vaccines. 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.