Sunday, June 14
2 p.m.
Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced on Sunday that the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the state has risen to 22,758.
A total of 692 deaths have been reported related to the coronavirus.
Officials say there are 3,049 hospitalizations.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 19% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 18% are between 30 and 39, 16% are between 40 and 49, and 15% are 50 to 59. An estimated 10% are between 60 and 69.
A gender breakdown reveals that 51% of COVID-19 cases are women and 49% are men. Of the state's fatalities 378 are male, while 314 are female.
Health care workers make up 10% of those testing positive for COVID-19.
Milwaukee County reports the largest number of cases with 9,511 and 350 deaths. Brown County reports 2,469 cases and 38 deaths, while Racine County has registered 1,989 cases and 54 deaths.
You can find a more granular break down of COVID-19 statistics in Wisconsin on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reports Sunday 15 more COVID-19 deaths in the state and an increase of 311 confirmed cases.
That brings the cumulative total cases to 30,471 since the pandemic began.
The total death toll in the state is at 1,298 with 1,030 deaths among those cases that resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
MDH reports that 26,090 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer require isolation. Health officials say 3,610 patients require hospitalization with 369 people hospitalized on Sunday and 186 patients are in the ICU.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 30-39 account for the most cases, with 6,178 cases and nine deaths. Those between 80 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group, at 446, out of 1,440 confirmed cases.
In terms of likely exposure to coronavirus, MDH says 6,887 cases involve exposure in a congregate living setting, 9,183 cases had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case, 6,816 cases had community transmission with no known contact with an infected person and 1,075 cases were linked to travel. Health care workers account for 1,976 of diagnosed COVID-19 cases.
Hennepin County has the most cases in the state at 10,191, with 716 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 3,936 cases and 190 deaths. Stearns County reports 2,107 cases and 19 deaths.
MDH has prioritized testing for people in congregate care, hospitalized patients and health care workers, which may impact the scale of those numbers. However, now MDH is urging anyone who is symptomatic to be tested. Testing locations can be found online.
Saturday, June 13
- Wisconsin cases and deaths rose to 22,518 and 691 respectively.
- Minnesota's totals stand at 30,172 cases and 1,283 deaths.
2 p.m.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced an increase of COVID-19 cases to 22,518 on Saturday, up 272 from Friday's total of 22,246.
Deaths account for 3% of all confirmed cases with 691 Wisconsinites having lost their lives from the virus, up two from Friday's 689.
There have been a total of 3,035 Wisconsinites admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 complications, 13% of all cases reported. According to WDHS's COVID site, there are currently 285 COVID-19 patients across Wisconsin's healthcare system, with 99 of them in intensive care units.
Roughly 72%, or 16,231, of the total 22,518 cases have recovered.
To-date, the age brackets of 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 have accounted for the vast majority of reported cases, at 19%, 18%, 16% and 15% respectively.
However, those 60 years and older have accounted for a combined 599 deaths or 86% of the total.
Milwaukee County by and far contains the largest cluster of confirmed cases and deaths at 9,418 and 350 respectively. Other counties with high case counts include Brown (2,458 cases and 38 deaths), Racine (1,986 cases and 54 deaths) and Kenosha (1,343 cases and 36 deaths).
You can find a more granular break down of COVID-19 statistics in Wisconsin on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 394 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday for a total of 30,172.
MDH says another nine Minnesotans have died of complications from the virus, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to 1,283. Of those deaths, 1,019 have occurred in long-term care or assisted living settings.
Minnesota hospitals are currently treating 390 patients for complications from the coronavirus, with 191 of them dealing with symptoms serious enough to require care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 25,620 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer require isolation.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 30-39 account for the most cases, with 6,119 cases and nine deaths. Those between 80 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group, at 442, out of 1,429 confirmed cases.
In terms of likely exposure to coronavirus, MDH says 6,850 cases involve exposure in a congregate living setting, 9,108 cases had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case, 6,756 cases had community transmission with no known contact with an infected person and 1,056 cases were linked to travel. Health care workers account for 1,953 of diagnosed COVID-19 cases.
MDH has prioritized testing for people in congregate care, hospitalized patients and health care workers, which may impact the scale of those numbers. However, now MDH is urging anyone who is symptomatic to be tested. Testing locations can be found online.
Hennepin County has the most cases in the state at 10,069, with 712 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 3,882 cases and 182 deaths. Stearns County reports 2,100 cases and 18 deaths.
Friday, June 12
- Third day in a row of COVID-19 case increases in Minnesota
- MDH-identified "wave pattern" appears to continue
- Commissioner Malcolm "anxiously awaiting" data over next few days to see if pattern changes
- First results back from free testing sites for protesters
- Restaurants return to indoor dining as phase 3 begins
- Walz extends peacetime emergency
2 p.m.
Minnesota saw its third straight day of COVID-19 case increases Friday, after four consecutive days of decreased numbers.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm said again Friday that the cases appear to be following a "wave pattern" they've seen more than once in the last couple months.
"We’re anxiously awaiting the data as it comes in over the next few days to see if that pattern continues or if it shifts in any significant way," Malcolm said.
The 490 cases identified Friday came off of a volume of 13,391 tests performed Thursday. That means the positivity rate of those tests was 3.7%.
The number of people in the hospital and the number of those patients in the ICU are both down Friday, at 403 and 191, respectively. Malcolm pointed out that there are almost 200 fewer people in hospitals across Minnesota than there were a couple weeks ago at the height of hospitalizations. There are also about 70 fewer people in the ICU than at the peak so far.
"Just to further illustrate the fact that the hospitalization picture has stabilized and improved pretty significantly in the recent weeks, which has been great to see," Malcolm said.
In general, MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said public health officials are looking at two different possible scenarios: Heightened COVID activity in the spring, a slowdown in the summer, and then a resurgence in the fall, similar to the flu. The other likely possibility would be a wave pattern, where numbers would stay similarly steady for a few weeks and then there would be an increase in cases.
"Those are the two kinds of patterns that we've sort of been talking about," Ehresmann said. It would take a week of increased activity for MDH to identify a real uptick, Ehresmann said.
MDH is watching carefully to discover whether the recent protests, gatherings and vigils over George Floyd's death will contribute to a spike in cases in Minnesota.
They have set up four community testing sites and have encouraged anyone involved in one of those gatherings to get a free test, whether or not they are experiencing symptoms. Just over 3,200 people have been tested at those sites, Malcolm said, and the results are back from 1,327 of those tests. They are seeing a 1.4% positivity rate so far, but Malcolm emphasized that it's too early to draw any conclusion from that number.
Minnesota has been gradually reopening its businesses and restaurants, going to "phase three" on Wednesday. Kris Ehresmann said they are aware that some other states have seen a "significant uptick" after similar reopenings.
"Right now many of our indicators are neutral or slightly positive," Ehresmann said, but added, "We’re not out of the woods yet."
Ehresmann said they are prepared that the "dial" may need to turn both ways.
"We all want to keep things moving in the direction of reopening," she said. "For that to happen we need all Minnesotans to do their part."
The more people follow social distancing guidelines, proper hygiene, stay home when sick and get tested when they feel symptoms, Ehresmann said, the more easily Minnesota will be able to move forward.
"We know people are tired of this, and we are tired of it too," she said.
Just as MDH is gradually reopening businesses, Ehresmann and Malcolm said that the department is also looking at lifting some restrictions on visits to assisted living and long-term care facilities, including potential outdoor visits.
"The toll of the separation of families and loved ones has been one of the most heartbreaking parts of the COVID-19 outbreak," Ehresmann said.
Of 912 facilities in Minnesota that have had a coronavirus outbreak, Ehresmann said 57% have only one to two cases. Fifty-two percent are no longer experiencing an active outbreak. And 9% have had more than 20 cases.
They have also seen a sharp decline in cases and deaths in those facilities. At the peak, the week of May 17-23, Ehresmann said there were 143 deaths. This week, June 7-13, there have been 41 so far.
In terms of preparation for a second wave of COVID-19 in Minnesota, Malcolm said, "There’s no question in my mind but that we’re better prepared." She said the state has more infrastructure, better information, more coordinated planning, added capacity, and that the medical community knows more about the virus. "Time is our friend in that regard."
She did acknowledge what she called "mitigation fatigue," as Minnesotans grow tired of having their activities restricted.
"It’s not just the matter of a second wave," Malcolm said. "This is going to be something that we’re just contending with for quite a while to come."
She also pointed out that readiness isn't limited to Minnesota. A global resurgence would put more pressure on the supply chain worldwide, which would then impact Minnesota's store of crucial supplies.
12 p.m.
Gov. Tim Walz announced a 30-day extension of the COVID-19 peacetime emergency, which expired Friday.
Earlier this week, Walz said the extension of emergency powers was necessary to quickly respond to the pandemic. Minnesota law requires the legislature to be in session in order for the governor to extend a peacetime emergency order. The legislature does have the power to end the peacetime emergency with a majority vote by both houses.
“Minnesotans’ health and safety is our top priority, and the actions we took over the last three months have saved lives,” Walz said in a news release. “The peacetime emergency opens our toolbox, allowing us to take swift action as necessary to protect the health and well-being of our communities, businesses, and families. This pandemic is not over. We must continue to work together to put public health first.”
According to the release, the peacetime emergency will protect Minnesotans against evictions and wage garnishment; provide expedited procurement power for PPE and other equipment; allow Minnesota to re-open society strategically, while following the advice of public health experts; and protect workers from unsafe worker conditions.
Every other state in the country has declared a state of emergency, and 54 out of the 55 declarations in U.S. states and territories are still in effect.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting its third day in a row of increasing COVID-19 cases, after a few days of decline.
MDH has commented on this "wave pattern" multiple times on its daily briefing calls, saying that the state has been seeing a few days of decreasing cases followed by a day or two of an "uptick," and then another decline.
On Friday, MDH reported 490 new cases and 25 deaths, both an increase from Thursday. Minnesota is now at 29,795 positive coronavirus tests in total, and 1,274 deaths. A total of 1,015 of those deaths occurred in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
The latest numbers come out of a round of 13,391 completed tests on Thursday.
The state has been testing well over 10,000 samples per day on six of the last nine days. The early part of the week tends to be lslwer, as MDH says they collect fewer specimens to test over the weekends. The vast majority of tests are now performed in private labs, with MDH processing in the hundreds per day at its public health lab.
MDH has begun urging anyone who is symptomatic to seek a COVID-19 test, and anyone who was a part of the recent protests over George Floyd's death to get one, whether or not they're feeling symptoms. Testing locations can be found online.
As of Friday, MDH reports 25,028 people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 are no longer in need of isolation.
Four hundred and three COVID-19 patients are hospitalized currently, with 191 of them in the intensive care unit (ICU). COVID-related hospitalization and ICU numbers have remained relatively steady or declined in recent days, according to MDH statistics.
ICU capacity has been an important topic as Minnesota prepared its readiness plan for the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday, 1,084 ICU beds across the state are in use, the vast majority non-coronavirus-related. The state has a capacity of 1,255 beds, but it has prepared an additional supply and could boost that to 2,199 beds within 72 hours in the case of a COVID-19 surge.
RELATED: Live updates: COVID-19 'wave pattern' appears to continue with rise in MN cases after decline
Thursday, June 11
11 a.m.
After a short downward trend in new COVID-19 cases, Minnesota saw its second day in a row of increased positive tests.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 453 new cases on Thursday, and 13 additional coronavirus-related deaths. That brings the total number of cases in the state to 29,316 and the total number of deaths to 1,249. Nine hundred ninety-four of those deaths were in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
The downward trend and then upward spike in cases is in line with a "wave pattern" that MDH has identified in recent weeks.
When MDH reported Wednesday's case increase, Commissioner Jan Malcolm said on a daily briefing call, "It does kind of continue that pattern that we've talked about before of a number of days of decline several times now, followed by an uptick for a day or two, back up into higher case numbers, so that is continuing here."
Those 453 new cases were identified out of a batch of 12,071 tests performed on June 10. The number of tests completed statewide since the pandemic began is now at 381,841.
Hospitalizations continue to be steady or slightly declining, with 411 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 as of Thursday, and 196 in the ICU.
Hennepin County, which has by far the most cases in the state, is now at 9,815 cases and 700 deaths. Ramsey County follows with 3,740 cases and 169 deaths.
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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. There is also a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.