What’s new in COVID-19 in MN: Hot spots arouse concern; flat vaccination

3 things to know

• 26.2 percent with at least one dose of vaccine; 15.5 percent fully vaccinated

• 479 cases of the UK strain identified so far;

• Active cases increasing; ICU needs more since the end of January

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Public health leaders are increasingly concerned about youth and sports cases in Minnesota. The hot spots emerged in the suburbs of Twin Cities, in the Mankato area, at the eastern end of the Iron Range and now in Ely, in northeastern Minnesota.

While the numbers are still relatively small, officials are beginning to see signs in the data that make them think that another increase may be coming. They hope that the state’s vaccination rate can stay ahead of the growth of new cases, but now that rate is stable.

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

• 6,798 deaths (nine new)

• 508,541 positive cases; 97 percent out of isolation

• 26.2 percent of Minnesota residents with at least one dose of vaccine

• 79 percent of Minnesota residents age 65 or older with at least one dose of vaccine

The Health Department reported about 25,000 more vaccinations on Wednesday. The seven-day trend is about 41,000 photos a day, more or less what it has been in recent weeks.

The pace of stabilization is not necessarily a problem, as federal vaccination remittances from the state are expected to increase from next week. Still, the bump cannot come soon.

Public health leaders are increasingly concerned about cases linked to the UK variant and youth sports. They confirmed 479 cases of the strain in recent weeks and warned that it is becoming a considerable part of Minnesota’s new COVID-19.

Nearly 863,000 people – about 15.5 percent of the state’s population – completed their vaccinations, while more than 1.4 million – 26.2 percent – received at least one dose, including about 79 percent of people aged 65 and over. years or more.

State officials hope to further expand the eligibility of the COVID-19 vaccine next week, Minnesota health commissioner Jan Malcolm told MPR News on Wednesday.

Governor Tim Walz said he believes that by the end of April the state will be ready to offer an injection to any adult it wants. It may come faster as more vaccines appear.

For those who received a complete vaccination, the results look good so far. Of the more than 850,000 people fully vaccinated, the state identified only 89 who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Tuesday.

ICU cases increase; regional outbreaks on

After a relatively stable stretch after a spike in late autumn, warning lights are flashing around data from Minnesota’s COVID-19 disease.

The number of known and active cases is increasing again. Wednesday showed 10,333 active cases – marking six consecutive days with asset counts over 10,000, a stretch not seen since late January.

Although still low compared to late November and early December, the increase is notable due to concerns about the increase in the UK’s COVID-19 strain, which state health officials suspect is causing the current increase.

Hospitalizations are still low compared to the peak of late autumn, but those counts are also increasing. Department of Health data showed 332 people with COVID-19 in hospitals in Minnesota; 93 required intensive care, the largest number of ICU patients in two months.

Nine deaths reported on Wednesday increased the collective death toll in Minnesota to 6,798. Among those who died, about 63 percent lived in long-term care facilities or assisted living facilities; most had latent health problems.

The state has recorded 508,541 confirmed or probable total cases so far in the pandemic, including 1,323 published on Wednesday. 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.

Public health leaders continue to closely monitor critical points on the Twin Cities subway in the southwest – specifically in Carver and Scott counties – as well as in the Mankato area and the eastern strip of Iron, centered around the city of Aurora.

There is also an outbreak now in Ely, about an hour northeast of Aurora.

Public officials in St. Louis County say that last week there were 33 confirmed cases in Ely. That’s about 15 percent of all COVID-19 cases across the county. Some of the cases are related to travel. Others are linked to social gatherings and youth sports activities.

Ely school officials report that about two-thirds of cases in the city were found in schools, mainly in high school. As a result, students are returning to distance learning for about two weeks in an effort to contain the spread.

The state is recommending that young people across the state be tested every two weeks for COVID-19, with student athletes tested weekly; authorities are also asking everyone in Carver County to take the test.

Regionally, all parts of Minnesota are in better shape than they were in late November and early December. Some areas are seeing an increase in cases.

Cases spread across age groups

People in their 20s still make up the age group with the highest number of confirmed cases in the state – more than 95,000 since the start of the pandemic, including almost 50,000 among those aged 20 to 24.

The number of school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 40,000 total cases among those aged 15 to 19 since the start of the pandemic.

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

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. Those with the coronavirus can pass it on when they have no symptoms.

Number of cases 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 of Hispanic descent during much of the pandemic.

Even with the count of new cases following well below the peaks of late November, early December, the data shows that Latinos continue to be hit hard.

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.

Governor Tim Walz acknowledged that distrust of communities of color has been a problem during the pandemic. The authorities provided some data on vaccinations broken down by race and ethnicity. The state is updating the data weekly.

Malcolm, the health commissioner, said the state is committed to doing more to expand access to the vaccine for people of color, including providing more doses to community pharmacies, partnering with local groups and setting up mobile vaccination clinics.

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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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Latest developments

COVID keeps Centennial High girls out of hockey tournament

A quarantine of COVID-19 is forcing a team to lose the Minnesota High School women’s hockey tournament.

Centennial High School’s women’s hockey team will not participate in this week’s women’s hockey tournament because of a COVID-19 quarantine, according to the Minnesota State High School League.

The team reported that it had a positive test.

Centennial, the section 5AA champion, was due to play Edina on Saturday. The league said it looked for options for a replacement team, but failed to make a plan work. As a result, Edina will advance to the next round of the tournament.

– Peter Cox | MPR News

Twin Cities Marathon is an opportunity for October

Organizers say they are moving forward with the Twin Cities marathon events this fall, including the striking runs between downtown Minneapolis and the Capitol. The races were canceled last year because of the pandemic.

The events will be smaller this year, with the marathon accepting only 4,000 entries. “Basically, we are at half capacity,” said Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director of the marathon. “It is a number that we manage to manage with the space allowed to fulfill the social distance.

Marathon organizers will urge spectators to stay away from the race route and restrict access to areas such as the finish line, as a precaution against the potential spread of COVID-19.

Registration starts on April 8th.

– MPR news team