Latest news on COVID-19 in MN: hospitalizations decline; new moderate cases

Updated at 11:30 a.m.

Minnesota continues to show relatively positive trend lines on a host of key COVID-19 metrics, including new cases and hospitalizations.

The health ministry on Friday reported 1,640 newly confirmed or probable cases of the disease – along with 33 additional deaths; 612 people were in hospital with COVID-19, of whom 125 required intensive care.

Hospitalizations have dropped 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 they were on November 1, but still above their level on October 1.

While improving trends look good after the terrible November and December – when new cases, hospitalizations and deaths have increased – public health officials still don’t believe the state is clear. They believe another surge, coming from year-end rallies, is likely in the coming weeks.

Gov. Tim Walz said his COVID-19 experts remained worried about a peak in February. On Monday, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm prepared Minnesota residents to see the daily number of deaths and cases rise again.

The number of active and confirmed cases is slightly up from the beginning of January.

“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,” he said. Malcolm told reporters.

The cases reported Friday place Minnesota at 443,562 in the pandemic. Of these, about 95% have recovered to the point that they no longer need to be isolated.

The recently reported deaths brought Minnesota’s toll to 5,850. Of those who died, about 64 percent were living in long-term care facilities 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 85,000 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 has 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 has declined from their peaks in late November and early December, data shows people of color continue to be hardest hit.

Mistrust 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. The numbers among Aboriginal people jumped in October relative to the population.

“ Still in a high risk situation ”

Although general conditions have improved dramatically in Minnesota over the past two weeks, state public health officials continue to urge people to wear masks in indoor public gathering spaces, to distance themselves socially. and take other steps to help stem the spread of COVID-19.

Last week, the state said it had confirmed five cases of the new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The variant was first detected in the UK and has since been confirmed in several other US states. It has not been shown to cause more severe cases of COVID-19.

“While our trends have stabilized, we’re still in a high-risk situation, and this variant is a major unknown as to what it’s going to do here,” Malcolm said Thursday.

No more vaccine eligibility, not enough vaccine

Minnesota officials say it is now acceptable for state health care providers to expand the pool of people eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. The problem: Minnesota does not yet have the supplies to immunize them.

State health officials said on Thursday that hospitals and other providers can now vaccinate a larger group of Minnesotans, including those aged 65 and over and those most susceptible to the disease.

The move allows providers with a vaccine available to get it up to speed as quickly as possible and “make sure nothing is holding them back,” Malcolm told reporters.

The commissioner added a big caveat: the state needs to get more vaccines from federal authorities to make the broader eligibility work. She stressed that members of the expanded pool should not rush to make immunization appointments.

The new guidelines for hospitals and other sites were simply intended to remove barriers faced by providers who have vaccinated health workers and other priority populations and who still have vaccines available.

“We’re talking about a small number of doses that some healthcare providers and agencies have told us” that they could use if they got state clearance, Malcolm said. “We are not yet ready to advise large groups of Minnesotans on how they can get vaccinated.”

Earlier this week, Trump administration officials urged states to immediately extend eligibility to people 65 and older as well as those deemed particularly susceptible to the disease.

State leaders applauded the announcement, but noted that the federal government must move forward with vaccine shipments to make it happen.

Kris Ehresmann, state director of infectious diseases, said Wednesday that the larger pool 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.”

About 500,000 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; over 160,000 Minnesotans have received at least one dose to date.

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Developments around the State

Inflammatory disease linked to COVID ID’d in 56 MN children

A worrying inflammatory condition believed to be linked to COVID-19 has appeared in 56 Minnesota children since the start of the pandemic, state epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield said Thursday.

While the disease, multisystem inflammatory syndrome, was fatal in New York City, the affected Minnesota children all survived, though some required intensive care.

Minnesota is seeing more cases now than last fall, Lynfield told reporters.

While the number is low – 56 out of more than 72,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed in children aged 19 and under – the inflammatory disease has disproportionately hit children of color the hardest. Sixty percent of identified Minnesota cases were black or Latino children, Lynfield said.

– The MPR News team

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Main titles

65 years or older? What you need to know about the vaccine: The state says health care providers are now allowed to immunize people 65 years of age and older, as well as those with underlying health conditions, if they are given additional doses. The announcement appears to be the first step in following new federal guidelines on who should be next to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Drug overdoses increase, stretching helps even more: When all the data is available, 2020 will likely be the deadliest year in U.S. history for drug overdoses. Preliminary figures from the federal and state government show that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult for people who use drugs to stay alive and healthy. It also puts a strain on defenders and the organizations working to keep them safe.

Minnesota Lawmakers in Walz – Where are the Shots? Minnesota lawmakers are pressuring state officials to speed up Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccinations. Gov. Tim Walz says problems with the federally run distribution system are the main problem.

With the reopening of children’s museums, will most families come back? COVID-19 has changed the way children’s museums operate. The pandemic has forced many of them to temporarily close, including the state’s largest children’s museum in St. Paul. After a seven-week hiatus, the museum reopened on Thursday.

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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.