Latest on COVID-19: Sign up to add ‘significantly more’ vaccine doses for older Minnesotans

Three things you need to know today about COVID-19 in Minnesota:

• The Minnesota Department of Health is expected to announce an increase in vaccine doses for people 65 and older, and more ways to get the vaccines.

• About 7.6 percent of Minnesotans received at least one dose of the vaccine; 2 percent received both doses.

• On average over the past week, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported every day in Minnesota dropped below 1,000 on Sunday for the first time in more than four months.

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The Minnesota Department of Health is expected to announce the next steps in the COVID-19 vaccination effort on Monday.

After two weeks of a pilot program – for people 65 and older, and educators – that tested the logistics for community vaccination clinics, a state health official said Sunday night that the health department will announce:

• ‘Significantly more’ vaccine doses designated for Minnesotans 65 and older are not only available at community vaccinations, but also by appointment at clinics, hospitals and pharmacies across the state.

• Permanent community vaccination sites opening next week in Minneapolis, Duluth and a southern Minnesota location need to be determined, with additional sites opening in the coming weeks.

• An online map directing Minnesotans to providers in their area who do vaccinations.

More details will be announced later Monday.

Although there is still not enough vaccine to meet the demand, state health officials said the infrastructure that is in place will speed up the vaccinations as soon as more doses are available.

The update will take place as the latest report from health officials shows that approximately 418,000 Minnesotans – 7.6 percent of state residents – have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Nearly 112,000 people – about 2 percent of state residents – both received doses to complete the vaccination.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 numbers in Minnesota continue in a positive direction with the beginning of February.

On average over the past week, the number of new COVID cases reported each day in Minnesota fell below 1,000 for the first time in more than four months on Sunday. The average number of COVID-19 admissions and deaths in hospital also continues to decline, as does the average positivity rate.

Here is the stream of Minnesota COVID-19 statistics:

• 6 200 deaths (13 new)

• 461,807 positive cases (996 new); 446,137 discounts on insulation (97 percent)

• 6.6 million tests, 3.3 million Minnesotans tested (about 56 percent of the population)

• 3.3 percent positive test score of seven days (officials find 5 percent or more worrying)

• 7.6 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose

Minnesota’s death toll COVID-19 continues to rise, reaching 6,200 on Sunday.

And health experts are closely monitoring new coronavirus variants to look for signs of increasing numbers of cases.

Cases spread across age groups, regions

People in their twenties still consist of the age group with the largest number of confirmed cases in the state – nearly 88,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 46,000 among people aged 20 to 24 years.

The number of high school teens confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 35,000 cases since the age of 15 to 19 since the pandemic began.

Although less likely to experience the worst effects of the disease and eventually being admitted to hospital, experts are concerned that young people will spread it to older family members and members of other vulnerable populations.

This is of particular concern because humans may have the coronavirus and can spread COVID-19 if they have no symptoms.

Caseloads tend in all regions of the state towards the end of December, in early January.

Hot spots still remain in rural provinces in proportion to their population.

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.

Even as the new case is easy from the end of November, in early December, the data show that coloreds are still hit the hardest.

The distrust in the government, coupled with deep-rooted health and economic inequalities, has 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.

Similar trends were seen during the pandemic among Minnesota’s natives. In October, the number of indigenous population jumped in proportion to the population.

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COVID-19 in Minnesota

The data in these graphs are based on the cumulative totals of the Department of Health in Minnesota 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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