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The number of schools listed by the Minnesota Department of Health as having coronavirus outbreaks jumped 74% over the past week and now stands at more than 400 buildings.
A total of 996 school buildings reported infections, with 486 having only one case, according to the state health ministry’s weekly report. The remaining 511 schools have multiple cases.
Each week, the Minnesota Department of Health lists each school building that has had five or more infections among students and staff over a two-week period. Thursday’s update showed 406 buildings on this list, up from 233 schools the week before, an increase of 74%.
Dakota and Washington counties have 19 buildings with outbreaks and Ramsey has 14 schools reporting outbreaks.
School-aged children have the highest rate of new cases, with the 10-14 age group recording a test positive rate of 10.7% over the past week. Schoolchildren accounted for about 26% of the nearly 21,000 new infections recorded last week.
“Transmission in schools and among children continues to be of particular concern,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a further briefing Thursday. She noted that COVID-19 is not only dangerous for the sick and the elderly. “This disease can and does impact young and healthy people, including children. “
Most children cannot be vaccinated. Those aged 12 and older have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, with less than 60% receiving at least one dose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks indoors in all 87 counties in Minnesota because community transmission of the coronavirus is so high. However, while there are virus mitigation recommendations from the state, there is no statewide mask mandate.
There were also 32 deaths from COVID-19 reported on Thursday. The last reported deaths were between the ages of 30 and 90, with 21 residing in private homes and 11 in long-term care facilities.
Eighteen of the deaths occurred in October, 13 in September and one in March. The death toll is 8,275 since the start of the pandemic with 4,668 deaths in long-term care.
Long-term care cases continue to rise even though nearly 94% of seniors have received at least one dose of the vaccine. There are 338 facilities where at least one resident or staff member tested positive, up from 309 a week ago.
Minnesota on Thursday added 2,674 new cases of the coronavirus, the result of about 42,000 tests. There have been 732,001 infections diagnosed since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
The rate of positive tests, new cases and hospitalizations continues to rise. There are 881 hospitalized patients, 234 of whom are in critical condition.
Parts of the state continue to experience a shortage of hospital beds, usually due to understaffing.
Health officials say the best way to avoid serious illness and slow the spread of COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. Breakthrough cases are on the increase, but about 99% of the 3.1 million fully vaccinated Minnesotans have not reported a breakthrough infection.
Minnesota administered 6.4 million doses of the vaccine and 3.4 million received at least one injection. About 73 percent of eligible residents, aged 12 and older, received at least one injection.
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