ST PAUL, Minn. — Tuesday, Sept. 28
- Minnesota passes 7,000 COVID cases since onset of pandemic
- Pfizer submits data to FDA on COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11
- Minnesota selling refrigerated warehouse meant as backup morgue
- State ready to begin administering Pfizer booster shots
New numbers from the Minnesota Department of Health Tuesday show more than 6,000 new COVID cases were reported over the last three days.
Numbers reported on Tuesdays appear high as they reflect data collected between 4 a.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Monday.
MDH says there are 6,203 new COVID-19 infections in the state, propelling the total number of cases in Minnesota past the 700,000 mark. As of Tuesday, 706,158 people have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.
Another 11 deaths were also reported by MDH, brining the state's death toll to 8,109. All new deaths occurred in people 55 or older, according to MDH.
As of Monday, 767 people are hospitalized because of COVID with 196 needing ICU care. The other 571 patients are in non-ICU beds.
When it comes to vaccinations, 73.3% of Minnesotans 16 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, or 3,396,209 people. According to the state health department, 69.8% of people in the same age group are fully vaccinated, or 3,225,345 Minnesotans.
While Pfizer's two-dose COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorized for people 12 and older, the drug maker is moving forward to try and get its shot approved for younger children. On Tuesday morning Pfizer submitted early data to the FDA to support approving the vaccine for kids 5-11 years old. The company says it will officially file for Emergency Use Authorization in the coming weeks.
Monday, Sept. 27
Both the number of COVID cases and hospitalizations remain quite high in Minnesota, according to data released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Health officials say 2,803 new infections were reported between 4 a.m. Thursday and 4 a.m. Friday. MDH no longer shares COVID data on weekends. Minnesota now stands on the doorstep of a grim threshold, just 34 cases short of the 700,000 mark since the start of the pandemic.
On Friday, State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm noted that she had hoped to never approach the mark of 3,000 daily cases again, but that the delta variant now has us near that level.
MDH says 755 people were being treated for COVID in hospitals as of Friday, with 212 requiring ICU care. In total 37,555 people have been hospitalized for the virus.
COVID deaths remain a concern with 22 in the last reporting period, bringing fatalities to 8,098. Of those deaths 4,624 (57%) involve long-term care or assisted living facilities.
The state vaccine dashboard says 6,387,200 total doses of COVID vaccine have been administered, 58.1% of them Pfizer, 37.4% Moderna and 4.5% Johnson & Johnson. Among those 16 and older, 3,389,798 have received at least one dose (73.2% of those eligible) while 69.7 % of those residents have completed the shot series and are considered fully vaccinated (3,217,061 people).
Friday, Sept. 24
Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Friday that the nearly 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the last day was something she doesn't want to see again.
Malcolm and MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann held a Friday afternoon media briefing call to update the COVID situation in Minnesota.
Commissioner Malcolm said the wave of new cases is impacting healthcare workers, educators, students and families. She said the best thing we can do to help is doing our part in reducing the spread of the virus.
"We continue to have grave concerns about the impact of this latest wave on our hospitals, long-term care and health systems. both in terms of their capacity for whole range of care, for any conditions, not just COVID," Malcolm shared.
Earlier, officials reported 2,997 new cases of COVID-19 in the state, with an additional 27 people dying from the virus.
The cumulative number of cases in the state is closing in on 700,000, with the total now at 697,182.
Malcolm says getting vaccinated remains the best defense against COVID, and announced that Minnesota is ready to begin giving boosters of the Pfizer vaccine.
MDH also reported 27 new deaths from the virus on Friday, bringing the death total to 8,076 since the pandemic began. One of those new fatalities includes a person between 25 and 29 in Hennepin County, and five of those newly confirmed deaths happened earlier in the year, according to MDH.
Health officials say 4,620 deaths have taken place in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
According to MDH's latest data available, 752 people are being treated for COVID in hospitals around the state, with 539 in non-ICU beds and 213 in the ICU.
Total hospitalizations since the arrival of COVID have risen to 37,451.
MDH reported 6,379,025 total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state, with 3,386,985 people age 16 and older having received at least one shot (73.1%). Of that number 3,213,208 people have completed their COVID series and are considered completely vaccinated (69.6%).