Updated: 11:25 am
3 things to know:
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The vaccination rate is increasing again, but is still lower than the previous week
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Hospitalizations up to September levels
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Officials warn against attending major Super Bowl parties
Nearly ten percent of Minnesotans have now received at least the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine – but anyone hoping for a shooting trend line should have been disappointed this week.
After a stumbling block in the early week, Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccinations increased for four consecutive days, reaching 36,000 in Saturday’s report. But the numbers still do not match last week’s levels.
The 36,502 newly administered vaccine doses reported by the Minnesota Department of Health on Saturday compared to more than 44,000 doses reported the previous Saturday.
At the current rate, officials estimate it could take four months to vaccinate all Minnesotans 65 and older.
Meanwhile, a coalition of Minnesota hospitals on Friday sent a letter to state health commissioner Jan Malcolm saying the COVID-19 vaccine distribution system is harming patients. They are asking the Department of Health to give more providers to healthcare providers to distribute – and note that some clinics have not received doses for days, so they cannot vaccinate the oldest and most vulnerable patients.
In a statement, Malcolm said MDH had notified the hospital association in an email on Friday that there would be changes in a “random process” for small and medium-sized providers. Read more here.
Here is the stream of Minnesota COVID-19 statistics:
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6,289 deaths (17 new)
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467,217 positive cases (1,030 new), 452,183 discounts on isolation (97 percent)
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6.8 million tests, 3.3 million Minnesotans tested (about 58 percent of the population)
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9.5 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose
The pandemic picture is steady, mostly positive
COVID-19 statistics still show that Minnesota is holding out in a hopeful way, especially over hospitalizations.
The data from Saturday’s Department of Health shows that disease trends are fishing in the right direction, despite an increase in active case loads. Known, active business stands at 8,745, similar to early October levels and is still significantly lower than around 50,000 at the end of November.
Scores also still look good on hospitalizations – 362 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with COVID-19 since Thursday, with 82 requiring intensive care. ICU cases remain at levels not seen since September.
Seventeen newly reported deaths increased Minnesota’s toll to 6,289 on Saturday. Among the deceased, about 63 percent lived in long-term care or assistance facilities; most had underlying health problems.
The state has recorded 467,217 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including 1,030 reported on Saturday. About 97 percent of Minnesotans infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point that they no longer need to be isolated.
State officials continue to warn that the pandemic is not over yet, noting the new virus strains arriving in the United States, including two cases of the Brazilian strain and 16 of the British variant in Minnesota.
They are also trying to dissuade people from attending major Super Bowl events this Sunday, given the ongoing concerns about the spread of the virus.
Cases spread across age groups, regions
People in their twenties still consist of the age group with the largest number of confirmed cases of the state – nearly 89,000 since the pandemic began, including nearly 47,000 among people aged 20 to 24 years.
The number of high school teens confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 36,000 total cases among those aged 15 to 19 years since the pandemic began.
Although less likely to experience the worst effects of the disease and eventually be admitted to hospital, experts are concerned that young people will unknowingly spread it among older family members and members of other vulnerable populations.
People can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 if they have no symptoms.
Caseloads tend in all regions of the state towards the end of December, in early January.
Cases are still the heaviest among coloreds
In Minnesota and across the state, COVID-19 hit communities of color excessively hard in both cases and deaths. This is especially true for Minnesotans of Spanish descent for much of the pandemic.
Although the number of new cases continues to decline from the end of November, to early December, the data show that coloreds are still hit the hardest.
The distrust of the government, coupled with deep-rooted health and economic disparities, hampered efforts to promote testing among color communities, officials say, especially among unauthorized immigrants who fear their personal information could be used to deport it.
“Everyone will have to be patient”
Public health leaders have called for patience over the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations.
More than 525,000 Minnesotans received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Saturday’s report, which contained data until Thursday. That’s about 9.5 percent of the state’s population. About 2.7 percent completed a complete vaccine range.
Concerns are still simmering about the rapid effort – and the confusion it causes when people struggle to figure out when and where they can get a chance.
Earlier this week, officials said it could take up to four months to vaccinate Minnesotans 65 and older if the foods do not deliver faster. about 20 percent of the priority population received at least their first dose.
“We let Minnesotans be vaccinated safely and quickly as supplies come to us,” Kris Ehresmann, the state’s director of infectious diseases, told reporters Tuesday. But “we just do not have enough vaccine and everyone will have to be patient.”
Minnesota will receive approximately 84,000 doses next week, which will be shared among tribal states, people over 65, educators, residents of the group and others.
Nearly half go to health workers who have yet to be vaccinated, although they are in a high-priority category, Ehresmann said earlier this week, estimating that about 80,000 health workers still need to be vaccinated.
COVID-19 in Minnesota
The data in these graphs are based on the cumulative totals of Minnesota’s Department of Health released daily at 11 p.m. You can find more information about COVID-19 at Website of the Department of Health.
Latest developments
Minneapolis Convention Center Vaccination Weekend
The state of Minnesota has launched a new, large-scale vaccination site in the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The state expects to vaccinate 9,500 people, including people 65 and older, teachers and childcare providers. Additional days open additional sites in Duluth and Southern Minnesota and will remain open indefinitely.
The sites are managed by Vault Health, which runs the state’s saliva testing program.
Dan Feehan, a former candidate congressional candidate in Minnesota, now leads Vault’s national vaccination program, also in Minnesota.
“It’s incredibly exciting. People are waiting and people are looking for an opportunity like this: not just to get their vaccination, but to get it easily, efficiently and with high throughput so that we can reach a lot more people,” he said. he said.
Vault Health randomly drew names for appointments from a list of people pre-registered for slots during the initial launch of the vaccination trial program in January, Feehan said.
– Catharine Richert | MPR News
Top headlines
Minnesota hospitals say the distribution of the vaccine through the state is at an ‘unsustainable crossroads’: In a letter to the Department of Health in Minnesota, a coalition of Minnesota hospitals said the state’s vaccine distribution system is uneven, leaving clinics and hospitals without doses to give to elderly, vulnerable patients.
Amid the great demand, food racks are asking people to seek help: One of the country’s largest food banks – Second Harvest Heartland, based in Minnesota, says it sees a huge demand for its services amid the pandemic. And it encourages people in need to go to a food rack.
Distant actors, crew unite for Theater Mu’s new show: After months of planning and with pandemic restrictions still in place, Theater Mu in St. Paul begins his main season on Saturday with a new production that combines theater and film – a play that is designed and speaks to the times in which we live.
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