March 22 update on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccination pace flat; no new deaths reported
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.
3 things to know
Nearly 26 percent of Minnesotans have at least one vaccine dose
15 percent of state residents have completed vaccination
Active case counts, hospitalizations rising
Updated: 11:42 a.m.
The race is on to vaccinate Minnesotans quickly enough to avoid another statewide COVID-19 surge. While that pace remains flat, the state did get some good news on Monday — zero new deaths, the first time that’s happened in a non-holiday daily report since mid-April.
The Health Department reported about 32,600 more vaccinations, down from the prior Monday. The seven-day trend is now running about 41,000 shots daily, roughly what it’s been for the past few weeks.
While frustrating, the flat pace may end up only a short-term worry. Minnesota expects to see federal vaccine shipments jump soon.
Officials, however, are increasingly anxious about the case growth tied to the highly contagious U.K. COVID-19 variant and to youth sports.
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.
More than 850,000 people — about 15.3 percent of the state’s population — have completed their vaccinations, while more than 1.4 million — 25.7 percent — have received at least one dose, including about 79 percent of people age 65 and older.
Uptick in active cases; regional outbreaks concerning
Disease conditions remain relatively stable compared to the late fall surge — but caution lights are flashing.
The number of known, active is cases is rising again. Monday’s data showed 10,315 active cases, marking four consecutive days with active counts above 10,000, a stretch not seen since late January.
While current counts are still low compared to late November and early December, the increase is notable given the concerns about the rise of the so-called U.K. COVID-19 strain. State health officials have said they suspect the U.K. variant is driving the current upswing.
Hospitalizations are still low compared to the late-fall surge, but those counts are creeping up as well. Health Department data showed 318 people with COVID-19 in Minnesota hospitals as of Sunday; 77 needed intensive care.
With no reported deaths on Monday, Minnesota’s collective toll remained at 6,782. Among those who’ve died, about 63 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.
The state has recorded 506,376 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including 1,152 reported Monday. 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 94,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 49,000 among those ages 20 to 24.
The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 40,000 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. Those with the coronavirus can spread it when they don’t have symptoms.
Regionally, all parts of Minnesota are in significantly better shape than they were in late November and early December. Some areas are seeing upticks in cases.
Public health leaders continue to keep close watch on hot spots in the southwest Twin Cities metro — specifically Carver and Scott counties — as well as the Mankato area and the eastern Iron Range, centered around the town of Aurora.
The state is recommending young people across the state be tested every two weeks for COVID-19, with student athletes tested weekly; officials are also asking everyone in Carver County to get tested.
Caseloads 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.
Gov. Tim Walz has acknowledged that distrust by communities of color has been a problem during the pandemic. Officials have offered up some data on vaccinations broken down by race and ethnicity. The state is updating the data weekly.
Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm has said the state is 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.
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
New vaccination site opening in Mankato
The state of Minnesota will open a seventh permanent COVID-19 community vaccination site this week in Mankato.
The site will be at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in downtown Mankato. It joins existing COVID-19 vaccination sites in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Rochester, St. Cloud and Duluth.
Those state sites are just one option for eligible Minnesotans to get the vaccine, along with pharmacies, clinics and pop-up vaccination events. More information is available on the state's Vaccine Connector website.
— MPR News staff