Latest about COVID-19 in MN: 10 percent of Minnesotans have at least one vaccine dose

3 things to know:

• About 10 percent of Minnesotans received at least one vaccine dose

• Important COVID-19 criteria stand in the state

• Officials warn against attending major Super Bowl parties

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About 10 percent of Minnesota residents now receive at least the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The state reached the milestone in Sunday’s update of the Minnesota Department of Health, reflecting the data reported Friday. That’s just over 554,000 people. About 2.8 percent of Minnesotans – nearly 157,000 people – received both doses to complete their vaccination.

And the state is slowly making progress in vaccinating people 65 and older. Just over 27 percent of the age group in Minnesota have now received at least one dose of the vaccine.

But week-over-week, the rate of vaccinations in Minnesota has fallen short in recent days. The state reported more than 43,000 doses in its updates every day over the past weekend, January 30-31.

Over the weekend, the state reported 36,502 doses (Saturday’s update) and 38,183 (Sunday).

At the current rate, officials estimate it could take four months to vaccinate all Minnesotans 65 and older.

Here is the stream of Minnesota COVID-19 statistics:

• 6,299 deaths (10 new)

• 468 118 positive cases (914 new), 453 225 discounts on isolation (97 percent)

• 6.8 million tests, 3.3 million Minnesotans tested (about 58 percent of the population)

• 10 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose

The pandemic picture is steady, mostly positive

COVID-19 statistics still show Minnesota holding its own, at new levels, hospital admissions and deaths at their lowest point since last fall.

Known, active business stands at 8,594, similar to early October levels and is still significantly below about 50,000 at the end of November.

Ten newly reported deaths increased Minnesota’s toll to 6,299 on Sunday. Among the deceased, about 63 percent lived in long-term care or assistance facilities; most had underlying health problems.

The state has so far recorded 468,118 confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including 914 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 on 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 554,000 Minnesotans received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Sunday’s report, which contained the data until Friday. This is about 10 percent of the state’s population. About 2.8 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.

Last week, officials said it could take up to four months to vaccinate Minnesotans 65 and older if the foods do not produce more vaccinations 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 is receiving about 84,000 doses this 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.

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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.

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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

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