Latest news on COVID-19 in MN: 10% of Minnesotans have at least one dose of vaccine

3 things to know:

• About 10% of Minnesotans have received at least one dose of the vaccine

• Key COVID-19 metrics remain stable in state

• Officials warn of big Super Bowl parties

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About 10% of Minnesota residents have now received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The state reached that milestone in Sunday’s update from the Minnesota Department of Health, mirroring data released Friday. This represents a little over 554,000 people. About 2.8 percent of Minnesotans – nearly 157,000 people – received both doses to complete their vaccination.

And the state is making slow progress in immunizing people aged 65 and over. Just over 27 percent of this age group in Minnesota have now received at least one dose of the vaccine.

But week to week, the pace of vaccinations in Minnesota in recent days has been insufficient. The state reported more than 43,000 doses administered in its daily updates the previous weekend, Jan. 30-31.

This weekend, the state reported 36,502 doses (Saturday update) and 38,183 (Sunday).

At the current rate, officials estimate it would take four months to vaccinate all Minnesotans 65 years and older.

Here’s the Minnesota Current COVID-19 Statistics:

• 6,299 deaths (10 new)

• 468,118 positive cases (914 new), 453,225 outside isolation (97%)

• 6.8 million tests, 3.3 million Minnesotans tested (around 58% of the population)

• 10 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose

The picture of the pandemic remains stable, generally positive

COVID-19 measurements continue to show Minnesota is maintaining its lowest level of new cases, hospital admissions and deaths since last fall.

Known and active cases stand at 8,594, a level similar to early October levels and still significantly down from around 50,000 at the end of November.

Ten recently reported deaths brought Minnesota’s death toll to 6,299 on Sunday. Of those who died, about 63% were living in long-term care facilities or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.

The state has recorded a total of 468,118 confirmed or probable cases in the pandemic so far, with 914 reported on Saturday. About 97% of people in Minnesota known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point that they no longer need to be isolated.

State officials continue to warn that the pandemic is not yet over, noting new strains of the virus arriving in the United States, including two cases of the Brazilian strain and 16 of the British variant in Minnesota.

They are also trying to deter people from attending large Super Bowl gatherings on Sunday, given lingering concerns about the spread of the virus.

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 89,000 since the start of the pandemic, including nearly 47,000 among people aged 20 to 24 .

The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also increased, with more than 36,000 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 may unknowingly pass it on to older parents and members of other vulnerable populations.

People can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they don’t have symptoms.

The number of cases tends to decline in all parts of the state after a crisis in late December and early January.

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 continues to decline from their peaks in late November and early December, data shows people of color continue to be hardest hit.

Distrust of the government, along with 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.

‘Everyone is going to have to be patient’

State public health officials have pleaded for patience with the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations.

More than 554,000 Minnesota residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Sunday’s report date, which included data through Friday. This represents about 10% of the state’s population. About 2.8 percent had completed a full series of vaccines.

Concerns continue to simmer about the speed of the effort – and the confusion it generates as people struggle with when and where to get the vaccine.

Officials last week said that vaccinating Minnesotans 65 and over could take up to four months if the federal government doesn’t distribute more vaccines faster; about 20 percent of this priority population received at least their first dose.

“We are getting the Minnesotans vaccinated safely and quickly as the supplies arrive,” Kris Ehresmann, state director of infectious diseases, told reporters on Tuesday. But “we just don’t have enough vaccines and everyone will have to be patient.”

Minnesota will receive some 84,000 additional doses this week, which will be shared among tribal nations, people over 65, educators, group home residents and others.

Almost half will go to health workers who have not yet been vaccinated, even though they are in a high priority category, Ehresmann said earlier this week, estimating that around 80,000 health workers in the state no have not yet been vaccinated.

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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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Latest developments

Vaccination weekend planned for Minneapolis Convention Center

The state of Minnesota has launched a new large-scale vaccination site at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The state plans to vaccinate 9,500 people, including people 65 and older, teachers and childcare providers over the weekend. Other sites will open in Duluth and southern Minnesota in the coming days and will remain open indefinitely.

The sites will be managed by Vault Health, which manages the state’s saliva testing program.

Dan Feehan, a former congressional candidate from Minnesota, now leads Vault’s national immunization program, including in Minnesota.

“It’s incredibly exciting. People are waiting and looking for an opportunity like this: not only to get vaccinated, but also to get it easily, efficiently, and at a rate high enough that we can reach a lot more people. ,” he said.

Vault Health randomly drew nominee names from a list of people who pre-registered for slots during the initial rollout of the vaccination pilot in January, Feehan said.

– Catharine Richert | MPR News

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Main titles

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