MN COVID-19 January 31 update: Average daily number of new cases drops below 1,000

The COVID-19 figures in Minnesota continue to move in a positive direction at the end of January.

Over the past week, the average number of new COVID cases reported in Minnesota each day fell below 1,000 on Sunday for the first time in more than four months.

The average number of COVID hospital admissions and deaths each day also continues to decline, as does the average rate of test positivity.

And the number of COVID-19 vaccinations is on the rise – the health department announced on Sunday the second day in a row of more than 40,000 doses administered. On average over the past week, the state is seeing more than 30,000 COVID vaccinations per day for the first time.

About 2 percent of Minnesotans – nearly 112,000 people – received both doses to complete their COVID vaccination.

Here’s the Minnesota Current COVID-19 Statistics:

• 6,200 deaths (13 new)

• 461,807 positive cases (996 new); 446,137 excluding isolation (97 percent)

• 6.6 million tests, 3.3 million Minnesotans tested (around 56% of the population)

• 3.3 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent or more concerning)

• 7.6 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose

Amid the encouraging signs, the death toll from COVID-19 in Minnesota continues to rise – reaching 6,200 on Sunday.

And health experts are closely monitoring new variants of the coronavirus, to watch for any signs of increasing cases.

Vaccinations in Minnesota continued on Sunday, after a technology glitch the day before caused anxiety among some people enrolled in the state’s 65 and older pilot vaccination program. A provider has sent spurious emails and texts to thousands of Minnesotans, suggesting appointments have been canceled – but state officials have stressed that the pilot program’s vaccination appointments are continuing as scheduled. Find more details here.

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 88,000 since the start of the pandemic, including more than 46,000 among those aged 20 to 24.

The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also increased, with more than 35,000 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.

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

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.

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.

Similar trends were seen among Indigenous residents of Minnesota during the pandemic. Counts among Aboriginal people increased in October relative to the population.

Accelerating the pace of vaccines

State leaders were challenged early on to get COVID-19 vaccines up to speed quickly and criticized that the process was too slow at first.

The latest figures show, however, that the increase in vaccinations is well underway.

More than 418,000 Minnesota residents received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, or about 7.6% of the state’s population.

The increase in vaccinations is encouraging news during these hopeful few weeks into the pandemic. Yet the demand for vaccines continues to greatly exceed supply.

Visiting a vaccination clinic in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz said the state was on track to achieve a 16% increase in federal vaccine shipments, allowing officials in the Minnesota to plan weeks, not days, in advance.

With the improvement of COVID-19 conditions and the resumption of vaccinations, “this is a golden opportunity” to reduce the number of cases and hospitalizations, he told reporters, adding: “We are starting to win this fight a bit. “

The governor said he hopes most Minnesotans like him, who are not in a priority group for a COVID-19 vaccine, can get one in March or April. “I told my team I wanted it before the first day of the baseball season,” he said Thursday.

The Minnesota Twins’ opening day is April 1. The home opener is scheduled for April 8.

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Main titles

The error sends incorrect vaccine appointment messages to thousands of Minnesotans: Thousands of Minnesotans aged 65 and over who signed up for the state’s COVID-19 pilot vaccination program received spurious messages on Saturday – messages that raised doubts about upcoming appointments.

Michael Osterholm on COVID variants – ‘we need to understand what’s coming’: Coronavirus cases are decreasing and the number of vaccinations is increasing. That’s good news, isn’t it? Yes, but strains of COVID-19 believed to be more transmissible have public health experts warning of a possible further increase in cases. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota. He also served on Biden’s transitional coronavirus advisory board.

Bloomington schools are closing classrooms again after bus drivers test positive for COVID: Just 10 days after bringing students home for in-person learning, a COVID-19 outbreak among transport workers forced Bloomington public schools to return to distance learning until mid-February. At least eight people from the district transport department were infected.

Because of the heartache, Hmong families are torn between honoring the dead and protecting their loved ones during COVID: Normally, relatives and friends would get together for days or weeks, cooking side by side and consoling each other at the funeral. But with COVID-19 ravaging the community, they’re wondering how to plan a funeral that won’t be as big and lavish as they had imagined.

Golden tickets to the ‘Hunger Games’: Minnesota’s race to immunize educators and child care workers is now in its second week. The launch managed to shoot thousands of people in the arms, but that’s only a fraction of the state’s faculty. And it was not without its share of accidents.

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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.