ST PAUL, Minn. —
- Hospitalizations remain above 1,500
- Omicron variant detected in Minnesota
- Third federal medical support team to arrive Friday
- Biden urging Americans to get vaccines, boosters, calls omicron variant "cause for concern" but not for panic
Monday, Dec. 6
1 p.m.
Long-term care providers should receive a shot in the arm in terms of filling vacant certified nursing assistant (CNA) positions after news of a new training partnership Monday.
Governor Tim Walz and health officials announced the initiative, which involves a partnership between colleges in the Minnesota system, long-term providers and the state. The plan will offer CNA students resources and support from the first day of class to the first day on the job, to allow them to become certified at no cost.
Expenses that would be covered by the initiative include tuition, fees, textbooks and materials. Additional investments will support transportation and technology needs for students.
The governor plans to fund the CNA initiative by tapping $3.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds. He will send the request to the legislative COVID-19 response commission for review.
More information on enrollment in the program will be made available soon.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 6,122 additional COVID-19 cases in the state on Monday, and 38 more deaths from the illness, as the positive rate and hospitalizations creep higher.
A total of 933,025 positive cases have been reported in Minnesota since the pandemic began, including 10,747 reinfections. MDH notes on its website that it does not record results for at-home testing.
The 38 additional deaths reported Monday brings the overall death toll to 9,654 in Minnesota since the start of the pandemic. Among the deaths are two people in their mid-to-late 40s, one from Norman County and one from Todd County.
As of Friday, 1,570 people were hospitalized in Minnesota, with 346 of those patients in ICU beds. Both figures increased for the second consecutive day.
Through Dec. 2, a total of 7,996,585 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Minnesota, including more than 1.2 million third or booster doses. More than 70% of the eligible population (ages 5 and up) have received a vaccine thus far.
The test positivity rate has started to increase again after peaking in mid-November. The latest number, which is based on a seven-day average and delayed by about a week, shows a test positivity rate at 10.4%.
Friday, Dec. 3
11 a.m.
Thousands of new cases and dozens of new COVID-19 deaths were reported by the Minnesota Department of Health Friday.
According to MDH, 5,685 more people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 926,931.
Another 62 deaths were also reported Friday. Of those deaths, one happened back in November 2020, and another happened in October 2021.
Included among the new numbers is a teenager between 15 and 19 years old who died in Beltrami County. Another nine deaths occurred among people in their 50s.
For a fifth straight day, COVID-19 hospitalizations remain above 1,500 in Minnesota. As of Dec. 2, 1,556 people are currently hospitalized, with 353 of those patients requiring ICU care.
ICU bed space is dwindling across all corners of the state. According to MDH, there is only one staffed ICU bed available in each of the following regions: northeast, central, west central and the metro.
There are no pediatric ICU beds available in the central portion of the state, and just three open in the metro.
Minnesota has administered nearly 8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 7,938,605 shots given out so far.
As of Dec. 1, MDH says 3,660,988 Minnesotans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, or 65.8%of that population.
Of those 5 and older, 3,381,610 people have completed their vaccine, or 60.8% of those eligible.
Among children 5-11 years old, the most recent age group to get the green light for COVID vaccines, 121,981 kids have at least one shot and 22,337 have completed their vaccine series.