Jan. 8 update on COVID-19 in MN: 48 more deaths, 2,387 new cases
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Updated: 11:35 a.m.
New data from the Minnesota Department of Health reported 48 more deaths and 2,387 new cases on Friday. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said earlier this week that officials are watching for any “bump” in COVID-19 cases due to holiday gatherings.
After a few days of increasing test positivity numbers, the seven-day average ticked down from 6.3 percent to 6 percent.
Malcolm told reporters Thursday that the case counts are something officials are keeping a close eye on.
“We do continue to watch for any bump in cases associated with holiday gatherings. We think we might be seeing a little bit of that. So far we've averaged 2,300 new cases each day over the past seven days,” Malcolm said. “And that's up from about 1,800 a day during the week between Christmas and New Year's.”
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Minnesota is still seeing some encouraging trends in the pandemic with fewer hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, Malcolm added. Prior to the holidays, more than 1,000 patients being treated in hospital beds for COVID-19 treatment. On Thursday, Malcolm reported that 787 patients in Minnesota hospitals are being treated for COVID-19 with 135 treated in intensive care.
But she warns that the next weeks will be critical to see if relaxing restrictions will have an impact on the virus spread.
“We must continue to take precautions to combat the spread of virus around our state,” Malcolm reiterated. “We know that masking, social distancing, staying outside while gathering are just critical, as well as getting tested if you feel ill.”
The new cases are on top of 49,001 COVID-19 tests. That's a high watermark for testing in the last week, as testing volume slowed over the holidays.
Meanwhile, 104,226 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Nearly 400,000 doses of the vaccine have been delivered to Minnesota since mid-December, but health officials warn it will take through the end of January to vaccinate those designated in phase 1A of the vaccine rollout.
More than half of Minnesota nursing homes are receiving vaccines from drug store chains that have contracted with the federal government, but a lack of staff has led to bottlenecks in getting the shots to this high priority group.
State infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann said Thursday that around 9,000 nursing home workers and residents have been vaccinated — that's just a fraction of the total.
"We're definitely watching to see how well and how efficiently the program is going,” Ehresmann said. “And if there are problems, just like other times when there've been hiccups, we will look to see what we can do to assist."
Officials say CVS and Walgreens have told the Health Department it will take three to four weeks to get through all the nursing homes. Smaller pharmacies say they're able to move more quickly.
Malcolm added that Minnesota is screening for the U.K. variant of the coronavirus — which researchers say is a more transmissible form — but Malcolm said while the state health lab can screen for the variant, not all labs have the ability to do so.
Restrictions to ease next week
The new numbers came two days after Walz announced he will allow bars and restaurants to offer indoor dining again next week with limits, and movie theaters, museums and other entertainment venues can reopen after being closed since mid-November. The new restrictions will begin starting Monday.
Walz framed the moves as cautious adjustments but made clear he won’t allow new virus spread to snowball. He also urged Minnesotans to continue social distancing and wearing masks to slow the spread of the virus.
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 80,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 42,000 among people ages 20 to 24.
The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 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 older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations.
It’s of particular concern because people can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they don’t have symptoms.
New cases spread across Minnesota, not just one region
The minor bump in new cases is happening all around the state, not just in one particular region.
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.
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.
Developments around the state
Minneapolis elementary schools to resume in-person learning next month
Minneapolis Public Schools plan to start bringing their youngest learners back to the classroom next month, the district announced Friday.
Superintendent Ed Graff said in a note to families that he wants to resume in-person learning for pre-kindergarten through second grade on Feb. 8, and third through fifth grade two weeks later. High school students would remain in distance learning.
Most students in the state's third-largest district have been learning remotely since COVID-19 first shuttered schools in March. Families still have the option to remain in distance learning.
District officials say they're following the latest guidelines from the state that prioritize in-person learning for the youngest students. Gov. Tim Walz has given Minnesota districts the option to reopen elementary schools in a phased manner starting Jan. 18 — with additional safety measures like face shields for teachers, frequent COVID-19 testing and cleaning.
Other Minnesota school districts have begun announcing their plans to bring students back in late January and throughout the spring.
— Riham Feshir | MPR News
Lakeville bar found in contempt of court after reopening despite Walz order
A Minnesota judge on Thursday found a Lakeville, Minn., bar in contempt of court after the owner defied Gov. Tim Walz's executive order.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Alibi Drinkery for violating a temporary ban on indoor dining. His office said the owner admitted in court to staying open through New Year's weekend, despite a temporary injunction.
Judge Jerome Abrams said the business is "flagrantly in violation of the orders" and will have to pay a $3,000 a day fine if it stays open.
Alibi's attorney Mike Padden said he wants to depose state health officials about the number of COVID-19 deaths.
"People just aren't accepting these blanket statements of statistics, and they're starting to scrutinize it,” Padden said.
Starting Monday, all Minnesota bars and restaurants may open at 50 percent capacity under a new executive order.
— Matt Sepic | MPR News
Top headlines
Mask rules differ on each end of Minnesota’s Capitol: The Democratic-led House approved a rule this week requiring masks be worn by at the Capitol or around other people while conducting legislative business. But the Republican-led Senate won’t follow suit. A mask mandate didn’t succeed Thursday after a majority decided on a 36-31 vote that an encouragement would suffice.
Minnesota's restaurants prepare for reopening, again: “When things reopened the first time, we certainly saw some glimpses of restaurants and other food establishments starting to get some traction again, so we’re hopeful we’ll see the same thing,” said Max Bialick, purchasing manager for American Fish and Seafood.
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.