MN COVID-19 Breaking News: Promising Trends As The New Year Begins

Minnesota health officials are hopeful that the encouraging trends in COVID-19 over the past month will continue into the new year.

The average number of new COVID cases, hospital admissions and deaths has trended downward in recent weeks – although there has been a slight increase in cases and in the test positivity rate at in the last few days.

Over the next few weeks, officials will watch for signs of an increase in cases that could be linked to the year-end rallies.

COVID-19 vaccine distribution continues statewide; As of Thursday, about 45,000 people had received at least one injection of the two vaccines, Pfizer or Moderna. Health workers and residents of long-term care facilities are given priority for the limited number of doses currently available.

The state has so far received nearly 170,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and nearly 128,000 of the Moderna vaccine.

The encouraging developments come as another dark month of the pandemic comes to an end. The Minnesota Department of Health reported 1,730 deaths from COVID-19 in December, most of a month.

Updates from state health officials will resume on Saturday, after a Friday break for the New Year’s vacation. Saturday’s update will include data from Thursday; Sunday’s update will include two days of data, Friday through Saturday.

Here is the current from Minnesota COVID-19 Statistics, from Thursday:

• 5,323 deaths (61 reported Thursday)

• 415,302 positive cases (2,204 reported Thursday), 397,080 outside isolation (96%)

• 5.5 million tests, 3 million people tested (around 52% of the population)

• 6.6% seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5% worrying)

Known and active cases of the disease continue to decline and now sit just below 13,000, after peaking at around 50,000 a month ago, as part of an overall slowdown in the number of cases since their peak end of November, beginning of December.

The state reported 97,099 new positive cases of COVID-19 in December, a volume of new cases just behind November’s record 170,000 cases.

Hospitalization trends have also improved significantly over the past two weeks. As of Wednesday, 895 people were in hospital with COVID-19 in Minnesota, including 196 patients requiring intensive care. Both numbers are down by about half from their highs in late November.

The number of cases distributed among age groups

People in their 20s are still the age group with the highest number of confirmed cases in the state – more than 79,000 since the start of the pandemic, including more than 42,000 among those aged 20 to 24 .

The number of high school age youth confirmed with the disease has also increased, with more than 32,000 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.

New cases flow back to Minnesota

Central and western Minnesota were responsible for much of the increase in new cases over the past two months, while Hennepin and Ramsey counties posted one of the slowest case growths in the state.

Cases continue to drop statewide, with most areas falling to levels before the state’s COVID-19 surge that struck in November and early December.

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 particularly true for Hispanic Minnesotans during much of the pandemic.

Even as the number of new cases is declining from its peak a few weeks ago, 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.

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Developments around the State

Sauk Center Hospital Resumes Routine Operations As COVID-19 Patient Count Declines

A hospital in Sauk Center, Minnesota, temporarily designated for patients with COVID-19, resumes normal operations this week.

In November, CentraCare designated its Sauk Center hospital for less critical patients with COVID-19. The move was intended to ease pressure on its largest hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where the sickest patients are being treated.

Since then, the number of people admitted to hospital and intensive care unit has declined.

Dr George Morris, medical incident commander for CentraCare’s COVID-19 response team, said the number of patients in the ICU rose from a high of 59 to more normal levels of 17 to 22 per day.

“We’re at a point now, where we can see that we’re constantly on the downtrend, and that we can push them back into their regular job,” Morris said. “We have more employees on site. And U.S “. Every time we go through these crises, we learn. ”

Morris said staffing levels have also returned closer to normal. At one point, about 10% of CentraCare’s 13,000 employees were absent due to exposure or a positive test to the virus, or caring for a family member.

More than 2,000 CentraCare employees have now received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, along with residents and staff at five long-term care facilities, Morris said.

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Main titles

106-year-old COVID survivor receives vaccine in central Minnesota: At the Carris Health Care Center and Therapy Suites in Willmar, Minnesota, 20 residents received the initial doses on Tuesday. The first to receive a vaccine was Harriet Lobbins. She recovered after having COVID-19 in mid-November.

Opposition to COVID-19 restrictions in Minnesota bars and restaurants is still bubbling up: Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency restrictions on indoor dining and drinks last until January 10, and opponents say some establishments continue to quietly defy order. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has said he will continue to prosecute companies that do not comply.

California announces first confirmed case of COVID-19 variant: California has announced its first confirmed case of the apparently more contagious new variant of the coronavirus. This was the second such case documented in the United States in a day.

Pandemic Brings Dakota Woman Home to Southern Minnesota: In March, reporter Dan Kraker met Pat Northrup at her apartment in Cloquet, Minnesota, where she performed a dance dress with her family and friends. Since then, the pandemic has changed his life; someone in her apartment contracted the virus and Northrup, who is now 70, decided to move to her daughter’s home, just a few miles west of the Lower Sioux Indian community where she grew up.

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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.