ST PAUL, Minn. — Thursday, Feb. 25
- Walz: 70% of Minnesotans ages 65-plus will be vaccinated before other groups are eligible
- New COVID-19 community vaccination clinic to open at MOA
- Minnesota asks families with in-person students to get tested for COVID every two weeks
- Delayed vaccines arriving in Minnesota after inclement weather, other issues
11 a.m.
New cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota are back up near the 1,000 mark, according to data released by state health officials Thursday.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recorded 996 cases of the virus in the past 24-hour reporting period. Department spokesman Doug Schultz says case numbers early in the week tend to be lower due to low testing volume on weekends, and then ramp up as testing picks up mid-to-late week. Data shows that every Friday in February cases have been over 1,000.
Friday's recorded cases are based on results from 42,749 cases (35,845 PCR, 6,904 antigen) processed in private and state labs. Health officials consider a positive PCR test a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
New case additions bring Minnesota's total to 481,831, with 23,178 of those cases identified by an antigen test.
Seven more Minnesotans have died from coronavirus, bringing fatalities to 6,450.
The state vaccine dashboard says as of Tuesday more than 1.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to residents, with 386,256 people completing the two-shot series. That translates to 14.1% of Minnesotans having received at least one dose.
People ages 65 and above make up the largest group of those vaccinated, with 373,455 people having received at least one immunization. That's 43% of state residents in that demographic.
Health officials say providers have used 89% of the vaccine supplies they've received within three days time, nearly reaching the goal of 90% spelled out by Governor Walz in a recent directive.
As of Wednesday 265 people are being treated in hospitals across the state, with 50 of them requiring care in the ICU. Bed availability in the Twin Cities metro remains quite low with space for just 97 non-ICU patients across the system, a 2.6% vacancy rate.
Total hospitalizations have risen to 25,625 since the pandemic arrived in Minnesota, with 5,287 people requiring ICU care. MDH says 468,498 people who once tested positive have recovered to the point they no longer need to isolate.
Young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 have reached a new milestone, accounting for 48,000 COVID cases, the most of any age group in the state. Three people from that demographic have died from the virus. The age group tied to the most coronavirus deaths are those between 85 and 89, with 1,223 fatalities in 6,232 cases.
Hennepin County has recorded the most COVID activity by a significant margin, with 99,972 cases and 1,578 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 42,807 cases and 796 deaths, Dakota County with 35,912 cases and 384 deaths, and Anoka County with 33,081 cases and 383 fatalities.
Cook County has seen the least COVID activity with just 119 recorded cases.
10 a.m.
Gov. Tim Walz is scheduled to announce the next phase in Minnesota's vaccination effort Thursday, detailing his plan to make sure 70% of the state's residents ages 65 and up get their shots before other groups are eligible.
The anticipated announcement is confirmed by administration spokesperson Teddy Tschann, who told KARE 11 the governor hopes to reach the 70% benchmark before the end of March.
Walz has scheduled a live briefing for 12:15 p.m. Thursday. You can see it at kare11.com, and shared on all our social platforms.
State health officials maintain that Minnesota has made "tremendous progress" in vaccinating those most vulnerable, saying as of Thursday more than 43% of Minnesotans aged 65 and over have been vaccinated. They say severe illness and death in long-term care have plummeted as a result, with deaths down 97% from their November peak, and cases are down 89%.
“We set out to protect the most vulnerable Minnesotans, and we are honoring that commitment. Older Minnesotans have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are focused on making sure they get vaccinated and keeping them safe," said Governor Walz in a released statement. "These vaccines work - we can see that in the plummeting cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in long-term care facilities around our state. We will continue working with a robust network of providers to vaccinate all Minnesota seniors who need the most protection against COVID-19 right away.”
These developments come as more vaccine sites open across the state, including one planned for the Mall of America. This will become the fourth permanent site in Minnesota, joining locations already operating in Minneapolis, Duluth and Rochester.
“We’re continuing to build a reliable network of options for Minnesotans to access the vaccine,” said Gov. Walz in a press release. “In addition to helping all Minnesotans find out when, where, and how to get their vaccine through the Vaccine Connector, the site at the Mall of America expands the network to give more Minnesotans access to shots in their communities.”
Earlier in the week Gov. Walz held a press conference to highlight ongoing efforts by the state to vaccine all Minnesotans, with a special emphasis on members of BIPOC communities.
Also Thursday the governor will walk Minnesotans through the planned vaccination strategy and announce the next phases of vaccine distribution, according to a press release.
Walz and state health officials have long said the goal of Minnesota's vaccine effort is to meet residents "where they are," removing barriers of transportation and logistics.
Wednesday, Feb. 24
2 p.m.
During a briefing Wednesday MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm highlighted that more than one million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Minnesota.
MDH Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said more good news is expected, as Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine gets closer to FDA approval. She said the vaccine's other benefits include less stringent handling measures.
Despite the good news, health officials urged Minnesotans to help avoid another wave of cases and deaths through testing and mitigation measures, like masking and social distancing.
"As long as there are COVID-19 cases in the state, we must remain vigilant and keep testing," said MDH Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff.
Huff said the state is asking Minnesotan families with students returning to the classroom to get tested for COVID-19 every two weeks. The request also applies to those with both doses of the vaccine. Huff clarified that the biweekly testing is not a requirement.
"Testing can catch a single case early and prevent it from becoming many cases," Huff said. He added that state health officials are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases in areas of the state that foreshadowed the pandemic's worst spike in 2020.
Huff said families with students can order a free home saliva testing kit from the state, or go to a nearby testing site.
Asked about negative reactions to new vaccines, Ehresmann said vaccines are subjected to post-licensure safety monitoring even after FDA approval. As part of that, she said formal evaluations are happening in Minnesota, but for now there is no evidence that vaccines led to any deaths.
11 a.m.
Top officials with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) are preparing for an influx of COVID-19 vaccines in the latter part of this week, to push up vaccination numbers that have recently become a bit stagnant.
Data from the state vaccine dashboard shows that as of Monday 770,021 residents have received at least one dose, 13.8% of Minnesota's population. Of those people 370,981 have completed the two-shot series. Just under 8,000 doses were administered in the most recent day of record-keeping, well under a recent rate cited by Gov. Walz when he said the state was averaging 29,000 vaccinations per day.
The big reason for this is a delay in vaccine shipments due to unusual winter storms down south. At this point those shipments are caught up and two weeks worth of vaccine is now in, or will soon arrive in Minnesota. On a larger scale, executives with the major vaccine manufacturers are promising that a big jump in vaccine supply is coming. By the end of March Pfizer and Moderna expect to have provided the U.S. with a total of 220 million vaccine doses, up from roughly 75 million shipped so far.
State health officials are expected to provide an update on Minnesota's vaccination effort during a call with media Wednesday at 2 p.m. We will carry that call live at kare11.com, and share it on our social platforms.
Providers are administering 88% of the vaccine they have received within a three day period, just under the state goal of 90%.
MDH says 761 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the last day, bringing the state total to 480,845 since the pandemic began. The new cases are based on results from 19,822 tests (16,604 PCR, 3,218 antigen) processed in private and state labs. Health officials consider a positive PCR test to be a confirmed COVID case, while a positive antigen test is considered a probable case.
Nine more Minnesotans have died from coronavirus, bringing total fatalities to 6,443. Of that number 4,040, or 63%, are linked to assisted living or long-term care settings.
Young adults 20 to 24 continue to make up the largest group of the state's cases with 47,919 cases and three deaths, while those between 85 and 89 comprise the largest grouping of deaths with 1,221 fatalities in 6,227 diagnosed cases.
The most COVID cases have been recorded by Hennepin County health officials, 99,738, with 1,576 deaths. Ramsey County reports 42,744 cases and 796 deaths, followed by Dakota County with 35,818 cases and 383 deaths, and Anoka County with 33,010 and 383 deaths.
Cook County in northeast Minnesota has seen the least COVID activity with just 119 cases and zero fatalities.
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, and kare11.com/vaccine for answers to all of your questions about vaccines. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11.
The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.