February 28 update on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccinations set new record

3 things to know:

• Record increase in vaccination in a single day

• Walz: Shots for all Minnesotans in the summer

• Staff: Children, families should now be tested every 2 weeks

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Minnesota set a new record for COVID-19 vaccinations on Sunday, with nearly 70,000 new doses reported. That beats the old record, set the day before, of about 56,000 doses.

The increase comes after many consultations were canceled earlier this month due to supply disruptions caused by cold weather. Now, those late doses are flooding the state and the miners’ arms.

More than 47,000 of the vaccinations recently reported were the first doses administered to people who had never been vaccinated before.

On average over the past week, Minnesota averages more than 34,000 vaccinations a day – the highest since vaccinations started in December.

Here are the ones from Minnesota current COVID-19 statistics:

• 6,483 deaths (8 new)

• 484,594 positive cases (813 new), 470,819 out of isolation (97 percent)

• 7.3 million tests, 3.5 million Minnesotans tested (about 61 percent of the population)

• 16 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose

Minnesota has already administered 1,338,841 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The increase in vaccinations came after Governor Tim Walz said on Thursday that all Minnesota residents should be able to have an injection by summer. At the current rate of about 34,000 doses a day, 80% of Minnesota residents would be able to have an injection in August. But there are reasons to believe that the vaccination rate may continue to rise, including the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose, and which will begin arriving in the states next week.

Minnesota currently ranks 17th among states in doses administered by 100,000 people, according to data collected by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Increase in cases, but relatively stable metrics

Leaving aside concerns about vaccination, Minnesota’s COVID-19 figures show that the state is quite stable, although there has been a slight increase in new and active cases.

Hospitalization rates remain encouraging and at the levels last seen before the increase in late autumn. There were 263 people with COVID-19 in Minnesota hospitals on Thursday; 60 patients required intensive care.

Eight recently reported deaths have increased the death toll in Minnesota to 6,483. Among those who died, about 63 percent lived in long-term care facilities or in care facilities; most had latent health problems.

The state has recorded 484,594 confirmed or probable total cases so far in the pandemic, including 813 reported on Sunday. About 97 percent of Minnesota residents known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point that they no longer need to be isolated.

Cases spread across age groups, regions

People in their 20s still make up the age group with the highest number of confirmed cases in the state – more than 91,000 since the start of the pandemic, including 48,000 among people between the ages of 20 and 24.

The number of school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 37,000 total cases among those aged 15 to 19 since the start of the pandemic.

Although young people are less likely to experience the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts fear that young people will spread the disease unknowingly to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations.

People can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they have no symptoms.

Regionally, most of Minnesota fell significantly since the peak in late November and early December, as well as a smaller increase in January.

Recently, there has been a modest increase in cases in northwestern Minnesota, although it is unclear why.

Earlier this week, Dan Huff, an assistant health commissioner for the state, expressed concern about the increase observed in the northwest and midwest regions, saying this showed that the state needed to remain vigilant against the spread.

“Vaccines are arriving and continue to increase, and this is fantastic news, but we are not there yet,” he said, adding that the state does not have enough vaccinated people “to prevent the next wave.”

The number of cases is even heavier among people of color

In Minnesota and across the country, COVID-19 hit communities of color disproportionately in cases and deaths. This was especially true for Minnesota residents during much of the pandemic.

Even with the number of new cases dropping since the peak of late November, early December, data show that Latinos continue to be hit hard.

Mistrust in the government, along with deeply rooted health and economic disparities, have hampered efforts to increase testing among communities of color, officials say, especially among unauthorized immigrants who fear that their personal information could be used for deportation. them.

The mistrust of communities of color “has been plaguing us for some time,” said Walz on Tuesday in a briefing to promote vaccination for people of color.

Health commissioner Jan Malcolm said it has been a “real problem” not to have data broken down by race and ethnicity, but that the state may have data to share next week.

Families with children should be tested every 2 weeks

With children increasingly returning to school buildings and sports, Minnesota public health officials are encouraging Minnesota families with children to take the COVID-19 test every two weeks until the end of the school year.

While not a requirement, the effort will help protect the state’s progress to limit the spread of the virus, Huff told reporters on Wednesday.

Families can use the test program at home in the state, go to a community test site or work with their own health care provider, said Huff.

“We are not asking schools or youth organizations to provide this test,” he added. “This is a recommendation for all young people, personally, going back to school, youth sports, extracurricular activities.”

Huff noted that the state teacher test shows a very low level of COVID-19 in this population to date. Huff said that about 72,000 educators were tested with only a 0.35% positive test rate. The authorities consider a 5% rate of concern.

Walz said on Thursday that 88 percent of the state’s public school districts and charter schools are offering some in-person learning now.

‘We can’t do this fast enough’

Walz outlined plans on Thursday to place COVID-19 injections in the arms of all Minnesota residents who want one by summer, while maintaining the state’s short-term focus on residents 65 and older. He even suggested that the Minnesota State Fair would be possible this year.

“The finish line is there. Let’s finish this,” said Walz in comments that were mainly optimistic about the state’s current circumstances on the one-year anniversary of the first Minnesotan showing symptoms of COVID-19.

Walz said the state will not expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines until at least 70 percent of residents 65 and older receive the first dose – a limit that authorities hope to reach by the end of March.

Once that limit is reached, Minnesota will open vaccines for others based on the underlying health conditions and risk of exposure in the workplace, including some 45,000 employees who work in food processing plants in Minnesota.

The governor and other officials indicated that his schedule was conservative and expressed hope that it would be faster as more supplies – including the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine now under federal review – become available.

“We cannot do this quickly enough. All the governors of this country are hearing the same things,” said Walz of the vaccines. “It is simply a question of supply and demand, folks. There are still not enough vaccines at this point.”

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COVID-19 in Minnesota

The data in these charts are based on the Minnesota Department of Health cumulative totals released daily at 11 am You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at Department of Health website.

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Statewide developments

New University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Anti-Racism Research

A new center at the University of Minnesota will focus on public health anti-racism research.

The launch of the center was fueled by the pandemic COVID-19 and the racial justice movement that followed the assassination of George Floyd by the police. Founding director Rachel Hardeman said she hopes the center will strengthen public health education when it comes to racial disparities.

As a black woman with deep roots in Minnesota, Hardeman said she was passionate about creating a vision that would involve communities in research and come up with solutions.

“It is certainly not the norm to enter the community and say ‘you tell me what we should be asking, you tell me what needs to be done, what do you need to feel safe?’” Hardeman said, “and a lot of knowledge and many of the solutions exist, but we just don’t ask the right people. “

The university received a $ 5 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to launch the center.

– Riham Feshir | MPR News

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Top headlines

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