ST PAUL, Minn. — Wednesday, March 10
- Walz expands COVID vaccinations to 1.8 million Minnesotans starting Wednesday
- Pop-up COVID testing site to open in Carver County following outbreak involving sports, young athletes
- CDC says people vaccinated with both doses can socialize with other vaccinated people with no masks
- COVID-19 variants found in 15 Minnesota counties, including all seven metro counties
- Strain of COVID-19 originally found in South Africa detected in Wisconsin
2 p.m.
With Gov. Tim Walz present, MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on camera. You can watch below.
The two also gave an update on the state's COVID-19 situation.
11 a.m.
New COVID-19 case numbers and deaths were back to more normal levels Wednesday, one day after an audit of four private labs artificially inflated data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
State health officials recorded 922 new coronavirus cases based on results from 20,704 tests (16,799 PCR, 3,905 antigen) processed in private and state labs. The new cases push Minnesota's total to 493,013 since the onset of the pandemic. Of those cases 25,282 were identified by antigen test.
MDH considers a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
On Tuesday MDH recorded 1,641 new cases along with 140 deaths, well above current averages, but explained that an audit by department epidemiologists of "unverified possible COVID-19 case reports" identified 891 cases and 138 deaths that were previously unreported by private labs in violation of a state rule.
The department is opening an "enforcement action" against the four labs involved in the situation.
Nine more deaths of Minnesotans were reported Wednesday, pushing fatalities to 6,705. Of those deaths 4,224, or 63% of them, are tied to long-term care or assisted living settings.
As of Monday, 1,103,353 people have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine, 19.8% of the state's population. Of those people 615,432 have received two doses and are considered fully immunized.
The state's vaccine dashboard says 68% of residents age 65 and over have received one vaccination or more, but on Tuesday Gov. Walz projected that with numbers still coming in, the state has reached its 70% goal when it comes to seniors.
Meeting that goal allowed the state to expand vaccination efforts to the groups included in the next two phases.
Hospitalizations across the state bumped up slightly with 243 people being treated for COVID on an in-patient basis as of Tuesday, with 64 requiring care in the ICU. Total hospitalizations now sit at 26,1423 since the virus arrived in Minnesota, with 5,394 patients admitted to the ICU.
People between ages 85 and 89 have been hit hardest by COVID, with 1,273 fatalities in just 6,387 diagnosed cases. Young adults 20 to 24 make up the largest grouping of cases in the state with 48,853 and three deaths.
Hennepin County reports the most COVID activity of any county in the state with 102,270 cases and 1,621 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 43,616 cases and 825 deaths, Dakota County with 36,927 cases and 397 deaths, and Anoka County with 33,703 cases and 400 deaths.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota has seen the least COVID activity with 121 cases.
Tuesday, March 9
2 p.m.
State health officials provided details following an announcement by Gov. Walz that vaccine eligibility will be expanded to 1.8 million more Minnesotans starting Wednesday. That group is made up of two tiers on MDH's vaccination plan, Phase 1b Tier 2 and Phase 1b Tier 3.
MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm said providers have been told to prioritize those included in Tier 2, which includes those with specific underlying health conditions, food processing plant workers, and Minnesotans with rare conditions or disabilities that put them at higher risk of severe illness.
Officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, have also emphasized that people 65 and older who haven't been vaccinated yet are still the "top priority".
Tier 3 will be eligible at the same time, but the people included in this group were asked to sign up for Minnesota's Vaccine Connector tool and wait for information from the website, or to be contacted by their health care providers or (in some cases) employers.
Tier 3 includes people age 45 and older with one or more underlying health conditions, people age 16-45 with two or more underlying health conditions, people 50 and older in multi-generational housing, and a specific set of frontline workers.
Asked for clarity on the term "multi-generational housing," MDH Infectious Diseases Director Kris Ehresmann said it is defined as a "household where three or more generations reside, such as an elder, a parent and a grandchild." She said a parent or guardian caring for a child would not qualify as multi-generational housing.
Malcolm was asked about a backlog of cases and deaths reported today, which health officials earlier said were found in an MDH audit of "unverified possible COVID-19 case reports." The audit found that four private laboratories had failed to report lab results as required by the state.
Malcolm said there is no evidence that the laboratories had intentionally done so, and that MDH is taking steps to prevent similar situations in the future. As MDH is conducting an investigation, Malcolm said the names of the laboratories will not be released yet.
11 a.m.
Data released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is jarring at first glance, but department officials explain that high COVID case numbers and deaths reported Tuesday include a significant backlog dating back months.
MDH recorded 1,641 new cases along with 140 deaths, but explained that an audit by department epidemiologists of "unverified possible COVID-19 case reports" identified 891 cases and 138 deaths that were previously unreported by private labs in violation of a state rule.
"An MDH data audit found that four private laboratories had failed to report COVID-19 lab results to MDH as required by state rules. We followed up with these labs and directed them to provide the missing results. The labs have now completed this step," explained MDH spokesman Doug Schultz. "MDH has opened an administrative enforcement action to investigate a failure to report case data by these four private labs."
While these cases and deaths occurred over the course of the last year, deaths will appear in records as a one-day spike because deaths are represented by the date reported. Cases will eventually be added appropriate date in the "Positive cases by date specimen collected" data table.
What that means is if the cases uncovered by the audit are not included, Tuesday's numbers reflect 750 new cases and two deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.
Total cases in the state are now up to 492,108, with 25,096 of those being recorded by antigen tests. Health officials consider a positive antigen test a probable COVID case, while a positive PCR test is considered a confirmed case. Total deaths now stand at 6,696 since the beginning of the pandemic.
As of Monday, March 8, 231 people were being treated for COVID-19 at hospitals across Minnesota, with 50 of those patients requiring ICU care. Bed availability in the Twin Cities metro continues to approve, with the vacancy rate for non-ICU beds up to 5% (185 beds). Total hospitalizations have climbed to 26,079.
MDH says 478,422 people who at one time tested positive for coronavirus no longer require isolation.
Young adults 20 to 24 make up the largest single grouping of COVID cases with 48,786 and three deaths, while people from 85 to 89-years-old have suffered the most fatalities with 1,273 deaths in 6,384 diagnosed cases.
The state vaccination effort continues to gain momentum, with 1,086,936 people having received at least one dose as of Sunday. That's 19.5% of Minnesota's population. Of those people 602,623 have completed the two-shot sequence, 10.8%. On Sunday just 6,581 people received immunizations, but that number ramps up significantly as the week proceeds and vaccination appointment are set.
On Tuesday Gov. Tim Walz announced that the state has reached its goal of having 70% of Minnesotans ages 65 or older vaccinated with at least one dose. Vaccines will now be available to 1.8 million people included in the next two vaccination phases.
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The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.