Latest on COVID in MN: Vaccination pace quickens; UK variant outbreak 'rapidly growing' in Carver Co.
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3 things to know:
At least 24 COVID variant cases confirmed in Carver County
Vaccinations accelerating
Hospitalizations, active cases stay modest
Updated 7:24 p.m.
Despite the accelerating vaccination pace in recent days and positive trends in key metrics, Minnesota health officials continue to implore Minnesotans to stay vigilant against COVID-19.
The state Health Department on Friday warned of a “rapidly growing” outbreak of the U.K. COVID-19 variant linked to youth sports in Carver County, saying at least 24 cases of the B.1.1.7. variant have been confirmed in the county since late January. Minnesota so far has 165 confirmed cases of the U.K. variant and two cases of the Brazil variant.
“Even with the positive momentum we see on vaccines, so many Minnesotans are still vulnerable,” said Ruth Lynfield, the state’s epidemiologist. The state, she cautioned, could still see a spike in coming months if people let down their guard.
Vaccination upswing
The Health Department on Friday reported 516,422 people — about 9.3 percent of the state’s population — are completely vaccinated now. Nearly 976,000 Minnesotans — about 17.5 percent — had received at least one dose.
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That included some 48,000 newly reported vaccinations. The seven-day trend is running at nearly 41,000 shots daily now, the highest since vaccinations began in late December.
State public health leaders have said for weeks that they’d be ready to ramp up when they got more supply. With the federal government now promising enough vaccine to inoculate every adult American by the end of May — two months earlier than expected — the table seems set. The state is expected to receive 127,169 doses next week.
Fifty-eight percent of Minnesotans 65 and older have received at least one shot currently, according to Health Department calculations. That’s important since officials have said the state will expand vaccination eligibility when 70 percent of that population gets a first dose.
Officials were expected to meet that goal by the end of March, but on the current trajectory, it could happen March 13, which would accelerate the timeline on when any Minnesotan can get a shot.
"It's going to be your turn faster than we thought,” Gov. Tim Walz said in remarks Friday during a vaccination event at the Minnesota Vikings facility in Eagan.
An upbeat Walz said the state may be able to “break the back” of the pandemic in the next four weeks.
Officials say the arrival of Johnson & Johnson doses, which require only one shot, are a game changer. More than 45,000 doses of the newly approved vaccine were expected to be distributed in Minnesota this week.
The Health Department on Tuesday said that 84 percent of Minnesota’s nursing home residents had received at least an initial dose while 69 percent had been completely vaccinated; 89 percent of assisted living residents had at least one dose while 63 percent received the complete series.
Minnesota currently ranks 16th among states in doses administered per 100,000 people, according to data collected by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Conditions are improving quickly enough that June weddings and a Minnesota State Fair this year were within reach, a buoyant Walz said Wednesday.
“The brass ring is pretty grabable with the State Fair” this year, he said as after highlighting the arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a Minneapolis hospital. Activities for “June and beyond, those look pretty promising.”
Pandemic metrics hold steady
As the pace of vaccinations gains speed, Minnesota’s COVID-19 numbers show disease conditions are fairly stable.
Hospitalization rates remain at levels last seen before the late-fall surge in cases. There were 224 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota as of Thursday; 57 needed intensive care.
Known, active cases came in at 7,461, continuing a trend that stayed fairly stable through February and remains down dramatically from late November and early December, when active cases hovered around 50,000.
Thirteen newly reported deaths raised Minnesota’s toll to 6,534. Among those who’ve died, about 62 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.
Death counts have ticked up in recent days but it’s unclear if it’s a blip or evidence of something more concerning. The seven-day average death rate is back in double digits, about 10 a day.
The state has recorded 488,170 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including 813 reported Friday. About 97 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point where they no longer need to be isolated.
Cases spread across age groups, regions
People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 91,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 48,000 among those ages 20 to 24.
The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 38,000 total cases among those ages 15 to 19 since the pandemic began.
With kids increasingly returning to school buildings and sports, Minnesota public health officials are urging Minnesota families with children to get tested every two weeks for COVID-19 now until the end of the school year.
Although young people are less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts worry youth will spread it unknowingly to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations.
People can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they don’t have symptoms.
Regionally, most parts of Minnesota are down significantly from the late November and early December spike, as well as a smaller January uptick.
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 continue to track well below their late November, early December peaks, the data shows Latino people continue to be hit hard.
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.
Walz has acknowledged that distrust by communities of color has been a problem during the pandemic.
Officials on Friday offered up some data on vaccinations broken down by race and ethnicity:
Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the state was committed to doing more to expand vaccine access to people of color, including getting more doses to community pharmacies, partnering with local groups and deploying mobile vaccination clinics.
Correction (March 5, 2021): An earlier version of this story described the total vaccinations as a percentage of Minnesota’s 16 and older population. The percentage includes the entire population.
Gov. Walz speaks on the state’s vaccination efforts:
State public health leaders update reporters on the latest data:
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.
Latest developments
COVID variant outbreak in Carver Co. linked to youth sports
Minnesota health officials on Friday warned of a “rapidly growing outbreak” of the U.K. COVID-19 strain tied to youth sports in Carver County. They are recommending a two-week suspension of youth sports in the county amid the outbreak.
Since late January, the Health Department says there've been at least 68 cases of COVID-19 cases linked to school and club sports in the metro-area county. Among those cases, 24 have been confirmed as the B.1.1.7 U.K. variant.
Epidemiologists have also seen an uptick of the U.K. variant cases in Carver County gyms and fitness centers — with many of those linked to the youth sports cases.
Health officials say youth sports in the county should be paused starting Monday. They also recommend weekly testing of athletes and coaches elsewhere in the state, strict masking and no gatherings before or after games.
B.1.1.7. is more transmissible than other coronavirus variants. While researchers don't believe it's more deadly on its own, its ease of spread may lead to more deaths.
— Matt Sepic | MPR News
State tallies 320 vaccine doses ruined
Officials say a total of 320 vaccine doses have been wasted in Minnesota in recent months.
Northern Minnesota’s Cass County had a disproportionate number of those wasted doses, according to state records: a total of 90 that were not used.
“Ninety doses were non-viable and unable to be used due to exposure outside of the storage temperature requirements and the timing of the occurrence,” said Michelle Piprude, the county’s director of health, human and veterans’ services.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines need to be stored in extremely cold temperatures. Minus 70 degrees for the Pfizer vaccine and minus 20 degrees Celsius for the Moderna vaccine.
— Elizabeth Shockman | MPR News
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