COVID-19 in Minnesota: Critical Care Needs Peak in 2021; active cases are climbing

3 things to know:

• 2,674 newly confirmed or probable cases, 32 newly reported deaths

• 23,128 known active cases; 881 currently hospitalized

• 73.7% of residents aged 16 and over who received at least one dose of vaccine

Updated at 2:52 p.m.

The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases is still leading to more people in the hospital. This has been true throughout the pandemic and it is happening again during this wave of late summer and early fall.

Nearly 900 people are now in Minnesota hospitals with COVID-19, 234 of whom need intensive care – the highest number yet in 2021, according to Department of Health data on Thursday.

While hospitalizations are not skyrocketing like they were in fall 2020, the current situation is still putting pressure on hospitals and intensive care units in Minnesota. This week, for the first time in the pandemic, there were more COVID patients hospitalized in greater Minnesota than in the Twin Cities area.

“Capacity is limited everywhere, including pediatric hospital beds,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters on Thursday.

She noted that in many parts of the state, the availability of pediatric hospitals is reduced to only a handful of beds and that the needs of a growing number of COVID patients are putting enormous strain on hospital systems and health workers.

She begged the Minnesotans to get vaccinated if they are eligible and to take precautions to slow the spread of the disease. “There is unfortunately a lot of room for the virus to do harm. “

Hospital executives speaking to reporters with Malcolm on Thursday painted an ominous picture of the strain on their systems across Minnesota – exhausted and understaffed healthcare workers struggling to meet the needs of a tide rise of COVID and other patients.

“The staff are working at the highest level and to the best of their ability, but we could use more people, and they are not there for us,” said Rachelle Schultz, CEO of Winona Health in southeast Minnesota.

The daily number of known active cases rose to 23,128 in Thursday’s report, hitting a new high in 2021. The state has averaged about 3,000 new cases per day over the past seven reporting days, hovering at mid-December levels.

Cases continue to increase statewide, driven since late summer by the highly contagious delta variant.

The disease is still most prevalent in adolescents, but the trend in recent weeks of growing only in children is no longer true. The numbers are increasing in all age groups.

“Transmission in schools and among children continues to be of particular concern,” said Malcolm. “We are now seeing more than 3,000 cases per week in children under the age of 12. This represents a new and disturbing high score for the pandemic as a whole.”

The positive test rate, which had remained relatively stable in the spring and early summer, is now showing some upward strength. The seven-day average is over 7%, more than the 5% officials find worrying and the highest since January.

While the rate of positive tests doesn’t jump like it did during last year’s late fall wave, it continues to rise. This is an indication that the spread of the disease is increasing.

The state’s death toll stands at 8,275, including 32 newly reported deaths on Thursday.

Statewide now shows a high level of transmission of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cook County in the Arrowhead had been the only exception.

Cases are increasing especially in northwestern Minnesota.

Generally, the state remains better positioned now than during its fall and spring peaks. More than 72 percent of state residents aged 12 and older have received at least one shot of the vaccine, and 69 percent are now fully immunized.

However, getting more Minnesotans vaccinated remains a huge challenge, and wide gaps remain in vaccination rates between regions and counties.

Listen to Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing from state public health officials: