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Live updates: MDH warns of COVID outbreak linked to South Dakota youth wrestling tournament

Here are the latest developments on COVID-19 spread and vaccine progress in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Thursday, April 15              

  • MDH: 29 COVID cases at 13 schools linked to South Dakota youth wrestling tournament outbreak
  • MDH reports 681 Minnesotans hospitalized with COVID as of Tuesday
  • FDA, CDC recommend "pause" on Johnson & Johnson vaccine
  • 2 community testing sites closing early due to curfew
  • Another day of new COVID cases near 2,000
  • 2 Minnesota colleges will not require vaccinations for students to return to campus, others deciding

2 p.m.

The Minnesota Department of Health warned of a COVID-19 outbreak associated with a youth wrestling tournament in South Dakota earlier this month.

Kris Ehresmann, who leads the state's infectious disease division, said they've identified 29 cases linked to the outbreak, at 13 schools across Minnesota.

Ehresmann urged anyone who attended the Northland Youth Wrestling Association tournament in Sioux Falls from Wednesday, March 31 to Saturday, April 3, to get tested immediately. 

11 a.m.

New single-day COVID-19 cases jumped by more than 1,000, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

The department recorded 2,736 new infections in the past day, up from 1,715 reported Wednesday. Testing volume was nearly double Wednesday, however, with 46,409 tests (37,618 PCR, 8,791 antigen) processed in private and state clinics. 

Total COVID cases have now risen to 549,830 since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Hospitalizations remain high across the state, with 699 people being treated for the virus on an in-patient basis as of Wednesday. Of those patients, 168 are receiving ICU care. Bed availability is low across the Twin Cities metro, with just 65 non-ICU beds (1.8% vacancy) open between all reporting hospitals. 

Credit: KARE

MDH says 524,290 people who at one time tested positive for COVID no longer require isolation. 

An additional 11 people have died from the virus, bringing total fatalities to 6,989. 

Minnesota stands on the cusp of having half the state's eligible residents (age 16 and older) immunized with at least one dose. As of Tuesday 2,162,585 people had received at least one dose, 49% of those eligible. The vaccine dashboard says 1,488,103 residents (33.7% of those eligible) have completed their series, and are considered fully vaccinated. 

Credit: KARE

Wednesday, April 14   

11 a.m. 

COVID-19 cases took a slight dip, according to data released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Health, while hospitalizations remain at a concerning level.

Health officials say 1,715 new infections were reported in the last day, bringing the state total to 547,101 since the pandemic began. The new cases are based on results from 23,669 tests (19,821 PCR, 3,848 antigen) processed in private and state labs.

Credit: KARE

Hospitalization rates remain high, with 681 people being treated on an in-patient basis across Minnesota as of Wednesday. MDH says 164 of those patients are in ICU. Bed availability in the Twin Cities is low, with just 61 non-ICU beds (1.7% vacancy) currently open. 

In total, 28,636 people have been hospitalized since the virus arrived in the state. State health officials say 522,843 people who at one time tested positive for COVID have improved to the point they no longer need to be isolated. 

An additional 16 people have died of COVID, bringing fatalities to 6,978. Of those deaths 4,320 (just under 62%) are tied to assisted living or long-term care facilities. 

The number of Minnesotans considered fully vaccinated is getting closer and closer to 1.5 million. As of Tuesday 1,460,806 people had completed the COVID series (whether one shot or two), 33.1% of Minnesota's eligible population of people age 16 and older. The state's vaccine dashboard says 2,131,826 residents have been immunized with at least one shot.

Credit: KARE

Young adults make up the largest group of the state's COVID cases, with those 20 to 24 accounting for 53,468 cases and four fatalities. The virus has been most deadly for people between 85 and 89, with 1,302 fatalities in 6,555 diagnosed cases. 

The state's top four counties in terms of population have also recorded the most COVID activity: Hennepin County reports 113,983 cases and 1,672 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 47,188 cases and 850 deaths, Dakota County with 41,764 cases and 418 deaths, and Anoka County with 37,816 cases and 415 fatalities. 

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