State public health leaders to inform reporters at 2pm
Updated 11:48 AM
Thursday’s COVID-19 data shows that Minnesota continues its relatively positive trend lines on several important measures, including new cases and hospitalizations.
The Department of Health reported 1,598 new confirmed or probable cases of the disease – along with 43 more deaths; 645 people were in the hospital with COVID-19, with 131 needing intensive care.
These hospitalization counts have dropped by more than half in the past four weeks. The seven-day trend in new hospital admissions has dropped to levels not seen since late October. Hospital admissions are now lower than on November 1, but still above the level of October 1.
While the improvement trends look good after the terrible November and December – when cases, hospitalizations and deaths have increased – the authorities still don’t believe the state is clean. Public health leaders believe that another increase is likely in the coming weeks after the holidays.
Governor Tim Walz said in mid-December that his COVID-19 observers were concerned about a February peak. On Monday, health commissioner Jan Malcolm prepared Minnesota residents to see daily deaths and the case count rising again.
Counts of active confirmed cases are increasing slightly.
“We hope to see cases showing up again in Minnesota after the holidays and potentially just as a result of the winter passing and more time indoors and more meetings,” Malcolm told reporters.
The cases reported on Thursday put Minnesota at 441,935 in the pandemic. Of these, about 95% recovered to the point that they no longer need to be isolated.
The recently reported deaths increased the number of deaths in Minnesota to 5,817. Among those who died, about 64 percent lived in long-term or assisted institutions; most had latent health problems.
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 84,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 44,000 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 34,000 total cases among those aged 15 to 19 since the pandemic began.
Although they are less likely to experience the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts fear that young people and young adults may spread the disease to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations.
It is especially worrying because people can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they have no symptoms.
A relatively small increase in new cases is happening across the state.
Hot spots continue to emerge in rural counties in relation to their population.
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 ease of counting new cases since the peak of late November, early December, the data show that people of color continue to be the hardest hit.
Mistrust in the government, along with deep-seated health and economic disparities, has hampered efforts to increase testing among communities of color, officials say, especially among unauthorized immigrants who fear that their personal information could be used to deport them.
Similar trends were seen among Minnesota’s indigenous residents. The number of indigenous people increased in October in relation to the population.
‘A delivery promise is not fulfilling’
Minnesota officials hope that the federal government’s request for states to expand the priority group of people receiving the COVID-19 vaccination means that more supplies are coming, but they say the feds are not yet supporting these links with more deliveries. vaccine.
On Tuesday, Trump administration officials asked states to immediately expand eligibility for people 65 and older, as well as for people most vulnerable to the disease.
The government also plans to start distributing the vaccine based on the population of a state over 65 and its rate of vaccination. Currently, doses are allocated based on a state’s total adult population.
About 430,000 doses have been sent to Minnesota so far to health care providers and the federal vaccination program at long-term care institutions, according to the state’s new COVID-19 vaccination panel website; more than 140,000 Minnesotans have received at least one dose so far.
While Minnesota welcomes more vaccines being made available more quickly to more people, “a promise of delivery is not being kept,” Kris Ehresmann, the state’s director of infectious diseases, told reporters on Tuesday.
Changes in federal recommendations could potentially add “a few million people waiting to be vaccinated” in Minnesota, she said. “If we’re getting just 60,000 doses a week, that’s going to be a real problem.”
No additional doses were sent or arrived, she added.
“We are ready to receive more vaccines if the feds really deliver on their promise,” said Ehresmann. At the moment, “there are no additional doses to use. There are no doses to put in arms to accompany this. “
Later on Tuesday, Governor Tim Walz’s office said the US Department of Health and Human Services agreed to requests from Minnesota and eight other states to release “millions of doses” that were withheld for distribution. The exact amount of supplies that would go to Minnesota, however, was not detailed.
Statewide developments
MN will remain in peacetime emergency for at least another 30 days
The state will remain in a peacetime emergency posture for at least another 30 days.
Governor Tim Walz extended his executive authority COVID-19 with the approval of a board of state office holders. The statement he first issued last March allowed his government to manage the response to the pandemic. But it also angered critics who say he should consult the legislature more directly.
Although there has been some recent improvement in coronavirus trends here, health commissioner Jan Malcolm said the risks remain.
“Conditions remain very fragile and volatile. We could certainly see and, frankly, expect to see a steady increase in cases, as economic activity and social interactions increase slightly, “said Malcolm.
– Brian Bakst | MPR News
Top headlines
Minn lawmakers. To Walz – where are the photos? Minnesota lawmakers are pressuring state officials to speed up Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccinations. Governor Tim Walz says that twists in the distribution system administered by the federal government are the main obstacle.
With the reopening of children’s museums, will most families return? COVID-19 changed the functioning of children’s museums. The pandemic forced many of them to close temporarily, including the state’s largest children’s museum in St. Paul. After a seven-week hiatus, however, the museum reopens on Thursday.
Schools are about to reopen, but teachers are not vaccinated: Teachers in some of the state’s largest school districts are voicing concerns about returning to face-to-face education, noting that they have not yet been vaccinated at a time when the COVID-19 virus is still spreading.
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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