Dec. 29 update on COVID-19 in MN: 36 deaths; new daily cases fall below 1K
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Updated 1:30 p.m.
Minnesota’s COVID-19 data continues to offer a mix of hope and uncertainty. New daily case counts fell below 1,000 for the first time since early October, but that came on very low testing, making it difficult to draw any conclusions about the pandemic’s path.
The death toll, meanwhile, continues to climb.
The state on Tuesday reported 988 newly confirmed or probable cases. The count of known, active cases in Minnesota fell below 13,000 for the first time since late October, part of an overall slowdown in caseloads since their late November, early December peak.
Hospitalization trends have also improved significantly the past two weeks. As of Monday, 966 people were in the hospital with COVID-19 in Minnesota, with 214 needing intensive care.
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Overall, though, the statistics are still distorted by reporting delays from the long holiday weekend, making it hard to say how Minnesota’s COVID-19 outbreak is changing.
State health officials have warned that the improving picture could change dramatically if people don’t stay vigilant. They continue to implore people to wear masks in indoor gathering spaces, socially distance and take other measures to help stem the spread of COVID-19.
The cases reported Tuesday put Minnesota at 411,110 in the pandemic. Of those, about 96 percent have recovered to the point they no longer need to be isolated.
The 36 newly reported deaths raised Minnesota’s toll to 5,196. Among those who’ve died, about 64 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.
Caseloads spread across age groups
People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 78,000 since the pandemic began, including nearly 42,000 among people ages 20 to 24.
The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with nearly 32,000 total cases among those ages 15 to 19 since the pandemic began.
Although less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts worry youth and young adults will spread it to grandparents and other vulnerable populations.
It’s especially concerning because people can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they don’t have symptoms.
New cases ebb across Minnesota
Central and western Minnesota drove much of the increase in new cases over the past two months, while Hennepin and Ramsey counties showed some of the slowest case growth in the state.
Cases continue to fall statewide, with most regions dipping down to levels before the state’s COVID-19 surge that hit in November and early December.
Hot spots continue to pop up in rural counties relative to their population.
Caseloads still heaviest among people of color
In Minnesota and across the country, COVID-19 has hit communities of color disproportionately hard in both cases and deaths. That’s been especially true for Minnesotans of Hispanic descent for much of the pandemic.
Even as new case counts ease from their peak a few weeks ago, the data shows people of color continue to be hit hardest.
Distrust of the government, together with deeply rooted health and economic disparities, have hampered efforts to boost testing among communities of color, officials say, especially among unauthorized immigrants who fear their personal information may be used to deport them.
Similar trends have been seen among Minnesota’s Indigenous residents. Counts among Indigenous people jumped in October relative to population.
Nearly 40K vaccinated so far
Nearly two weeks into Minnesota's vaccine distribution program, about 38,000 people have received their first shots.
Many hospitals started vaccinating their front-line workers the week of Dec. 21, with a few starting days before that. Long-term care providers started vaccinating residents this week, with nearly 600 given so far.
The state has so far received nearly 80,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and nearly 95,000 of the Moderna vaccine. That vaccine is mostly being used to inoculate people living and working in skilled nursing facilities.
The state is on track to get 250,000 doses by the end of the year.
After initially saying it would update numbers weekly, the Minnesota Department of Health said Tuesday it will be updating vaccination counts daily.
Developments around the state
Mpls. firefighters and EMTs get first vaccines
Minneapolis firefighters and emergency personnel have started to receive COVID-19 vaccines.
Dozens lined up to get their shots at the city's emergency operations training center Tuesday morning.
Up first was Minneapolis Fire Chief Bryan Tyner.
"I don't feel like as chiefs we can ask people to do something that we're not willing to do ourselves," Tyner said.
Firefighters will be followed by city and Metro Transit police. The city is working through which employees will need the vaccine next.
”We're going to make sure that that all city employees who want to get vaccinated are able to, but we're definitely going to take care of the ones who are higher risk first,” said Toni Hauser, the emergency preparedness manager for the Minneapolis Health Department.
Hauser said the city is weighing factors such as close regular contact with the public and how essential the employees’ jobs are.
Emergency personnel are included in the same priority group as frontline health care workers and nursing home residents.
— Peter Cox | MPR News
State wants masks on youth hockey, hoops players
Minnesota student athletes must wear masks at all practices and games — even during high-exertion sports such as hockey and basketball, state officials said Monday.
There are exceptions for swimmers while they're in the water, as well as wrestlers, and certain gymnastics and cheerleading routines.
The regulations came as part of the new COVID-19 guidance for youth winter sports. In November, Gov. Tim Walz ordered a “pause” on prep sports as part of a larger effort to minimize public gatherings to stop the disease’s spread.
Under the new guidance, teams can conditionally begin games and scrimmages with other teams starting Jan. 14. Practices, which can start next Monday, may not include more than 25 people.
— Matt Sepic | MPR News
Federal help on the way for jobless Minnesotans
A new federal pandemic relief package signed by President Donald Trump on Sunday will help thousands of unemployed Minnesotans.
Steve Grove, Minnesota’s commissioner of employment and economic development, said more than 300,000 Minnesotans are receiving unemployment. He said more than 100,000 Minnesotans “risked falling out of the system” without the legislation.
The state has distributed more than $9 billion in federal unemployment benefits this year amid the pandemic, Grove said. That’s a record
Grove said a state emergency program will cover a one-week gap in extra pandemic benefits for many unemployed Minnesotans before the the new federal aid begins flowing.
— Dan Gunderson | MPR News
Top headlines
As state COVID-19 relief goes out, some will miss out: Initial state aid payments for businesses that will be sent out soon won't help some Minnesota restaurants struggling with the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions because of how they fared when regulations were loosened earlier.
Amid ongoing pandemic, another state legislative session looms on Zoom: Lawmakers have been working remotely for months due to the pandemic, but the increased workload of a budget session presents new challenges that still need to be worked out, including how members of the public can interact with lawmakers.
Little Falls bus driver who delivered meals now awaits students' return: Back in March, when COVID-19 forced schools to shut down, Melanie Van Alst delivered meals — and sometimes homework — to homebound students who attend Little Falls Community Schools. But in November, when COVID-19 cases spiked in the region, the district switched to distance learning, and bus drivers were no longer needed.
First reported U.S. case of COVID-19 variant found in Colorado: The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that’s been seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado. The state’s Gov. Jared Polis and health officials announced Tuesday that the case was found in a man in his 20s who's in isolation and has no travel history.
Trump's $2,000 checks stalls in Senate as GOP blocks vote: President Donald Trump's push for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks stalled out Tuesday in the Senate as Republicans blocked a swift vote proposed by Democrats and split within their own ranks over whether to boost spending or defy the White House.
COVID vaccinations ramp up in Minn. long-term care: Staff and residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities across the state began getting their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine Monday, a hopeful sign in an industry hard-hit by the virus.
COVID-19 in Minnesota
Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at the Health Department website.