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State public health officials should brief reporters at 2 p.m.
Updated 12:03
The latest COVID-19 data from Minnesota shows the condition remains stable on a relatively moderate growth path for new cases as hospital admissions decline. State officials, however, still believe another surge is likely in the coming weeks after the year-end vacation.
The Department of Health on Wednesday reported 1,504 newly confirmed or probable cases of the disease – as well as 50 more deaths. That’s a higher death toll than last week, but the overall trend remains downward after a peak in December.
Some 665 people were in hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday, 129 of whom required intensive care. Those numbers have fallen by more than half in the past four weeks. The seven-day trend in new hospital admissions is at levels not seen since late October.
Hospital admissions are now lower than what Minnesota saw on November 1, but still above their October 1 level.
While applauding the recent positive trends, health officials signaled that another recovery is expected. Data on Wednesday showed that the number of confirmed and active cases in Minnesota was increasing, although it was still well below that of last month.
Gov. Tim Walz said in mid-December that his COVID-19 watchers were concerned about a peak in February. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm prepared residents of Minnesota on Monday to see the daily number of deaths and cases rise again.
“We expect to see cases pick up in Minnesota after the holiday season, and potentially simply because of winter wear and tear and more time indoors and more gatherings,” Malcolm told reporters.
Overall, Minnesota’s COVID-19 path remains difficult to trace due to reports of this year-end vacation.
The cases reported Wednesday put Minnesota at 440,354 in the pandemic. Of these, about 95% have recovered to the point that they no longer need to be isolated.
The newly reported deaths brought Minnesota’s toll to 5,774. Of those who died, about 64 percent were living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.
Cases distributed across age groups and regions
People in their 20s are still the age group with the highest number of confirmed cases in the state – nearly 84,000 since the start of the pandemic, including more than 44,000 among those aged 20 to 24.
The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also increased, with more than 34,000 total cases among those aged 15 to 19 since the start of the pandemic.
While less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up in hospital, experts fear that young people and young adults could pass it on to older parents and members of other vulnerable populations.
This is of particular concern because people can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they do not have symptoms.
A relatively small lump in the new cases occurred statewide.
Hot spots continue to appear in rural counties relative to their population.
The number of cases remains highest among people of color
In Minnesota and across the country, COVID-19 has disproportionately hit communities of color in both cases and deaths. This has been especially true for Minnesotans of Hispanic descent during much of the pandemic.
Even as the number of new cases is declining from their peaks in late November and early December, data shows people of color continue to be hardest hit.
Distrust of the government, as well as deep-rooted health and economic disparities, have hampered efforts to step up testing among communities of color, officials say, especially among unauthorized immigrants who fear their information. personal data are used to expel them.
Similar trends were seen among native residents of Minnesota. Counts among Aboriginal people jumped in October relative to the population.
“A promise to keep does not keep”
Minnesota officials hope the federal government’s call for states to expand the priority pool of people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations means more supplies will arrive, but they say the federal government is not yet backing those calls with more vaccine deliveries.
Trump administration officials on Tuesday urged states to immediately extend eligibility to those 65 and older as well as those most vulnerable to the disease.
The administration also plans to begin distributing the vaccine based on a state’s population over 65 years of age and its vaccination schedule. Currently, doses are assigned based on the total adult population of a state.
About 430,000 doses have been shipped to Minnesota so far to healthcare providers and the federal long-term care facility immunization program, according to the new COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard website. State; more than 150,000 Minnesotans have received at least one dose to date.
Patti Cullen, President and CEO of Care Providers of Minnesota, on Long Term Care Vaccinations
As Minnesota welcomes more vaccines available faster to more people, “a promise to deliver falls short,” Kris Ehresmann, the state’s director of infectious diseases, told reporters Tuesday.
The changing federal recommendations could potentially add “a few million people who will expect to be vaccinated” in Minnesota, she said. “If we only get 60,000 doses a week, that’s going to be a real problem.”
No additional doses have been shipped or arrived, she added.
“We are ready to receive more vaccines if the federal government actually keeps its promise,” Ehresmann said. At this time, “there are no extra doses to use. There are no doses to put in the arms to accompany this.
Later Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz’s office said the US Department of Health and Human Services had accepted requests from Minnesota and eight other states to release “millions of doses” that had been held up for distribution. The exact amount of supply that would go to Minnesota, however, was not detailed.
Developments around the State
MN will remain in a peacetime emergency for at least an additional 30 days
The state will remain in a posture of emergency in peacetime for at least another 30 days.
Gov, Tim Walz has extended his COVID-19 executive authority with the approval of a council of public office holders. The statement he first issued last March helped his administration manage the response to the pandemic. But it has also angered critics who say he should consult the Legislature more directly.
Although there has been a recent improvement in coronavirus trends here, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the risks remained.
“The conditions remain very fragile and volatile. We could certainly see and frankly expect to see a continued increase in cases as economic activity and social interactions pick up a bit, ”Malcolm said.
– Brian Bakst | MPR News
Minnesota changes telephone alert system that tracks COVID
Minnesota is making changes to the telephone alert system it uses to help track COVID-19.
The change applies to many Apple iPhone users. State information technology agency MNIT said over the weekend that users with newer operating systems would receive a prompt that would enable them to turn on exposure notifications, without using the separate COVID-19 application. This is part of an already widely used technology developed by Apple and Google that can be integrated into a phone’s operating system.
The service has all the same functionality as the app, using Bluetooth technology and randomly assigned numbers to detect other people nearby, then sharing it anonymously if either party reports a positive COVID-19 test. The new version, like the app itself, does not collect individual information or track locations.
– Tim Nelson | MPR News
Main titles
Schools are about to reopen, but teachers are not vaccinated: Teachers in some of the state’s largest school districts are expressing concerns about returning to in-person teaching, noting that they have yet to be vaccinated at a time when the COVID-19 virus is still spreading.
While Minn. Perform the first series of vaccinations, some providers fear being excluded: Minnesota is nearing the last phase of its initial COVID-19 vaccinations. But providers, like residential drug treatment centers and mental health care providers, say they still don’t know when and where their staff will receive the vaccine.
Minnesotans with disabilities wonder when they will receive the COVID-19 vaccine: As a group, people with disabilities often suffer disproportionately from the effects of the pandemic.
COVID-19 in Minnesota
The data in these charts is based on cumulative totals from the Minnesota Department of Health released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at Department of Health website.
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