Falling temperatures, blowing snow and dangerous travel conditions

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. 

Turn Up Your Support

If Minnesota’s yearlong COVID-19 battle were a horror movie, we’d be at the point now where we think the evil has been vanquished, only to hear the eerie music quietly starting again. 

There’s a low hum of new infections now, led by the highly contagious U.K. COVID-19 variant. The question now: Will vaccinations be able to outrun the variants? The latest numbers show the state’s vaccination pace staying flat while active cases and hospitalizations rise. 

The Health Department on Wednesday reported about 25,000 more vaccinations. The seven-day trend is running at around 41,000 shots daily, roughly what it’s been the past few weeks.

The flattening vaccination pace isn’t necessarily problem since the state’s federal vaccination shipments are expected to jump starting next week. Still, the bump can’t come soon enough.

Public health leaders are increasingly anxious about cases tied to the U.K. variant and to youth sports. They’ve confirmed 479 cases of the strain in recent weeks and cautioned that it’s becoming a sizeable part of Minnesota’s new COVID-19 caseloads.  

 — about 15.5 percent of the state’s population — have completed their vaccinations while more than 1.4 million — 26.2 percent — have received at least one dose, including about 79 percent of people age 65 and older.

State authorities expect to further expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility next week, Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told MPR News Wednesday. Gov. Tim Walz has said he believes that by late April the state would be ready to offer a shot to any adult who wants it.

For those who’ve received a complete vaccination, the results look good so far. Of the more than 850,000 people completely vaccinated, the state’s identified only 89 who’ve subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Tuesday.

Tracking cases in Minnesota

From MPR News

From across Minnesota

Analysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota

ICU cases rise; regional outbreaks concerning

After a relatively stable stretch following a late fall surge, warning lights are flashing around Minnesota’s COVID-19 disease data.

The number of known, active is cases is rising again. Wednesday showed 10,333 active cases — marking six consecutive days with active counts above 10,000, a stretch not seen since late January. 

While still low compared to late November and early December, the increase is notable given the worries over the rise of the U.K. COVID-19 strain, which state health officials suspect 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 332 people with COVID-19 in Minnesota hospitals; 93 needed intensive care, the highest number of ICU patients since late January.

Nine deaths reported on Wednesday raised Minnesota’s collective toll to 6,798. 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 508,541 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including 1,323 posted Wednesday. 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.

What to know about Minnesota's latest COVID dial-back

Minnesota expands vaccine eligibility

People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 95,000 since the pandemic began, including nearly 50,000 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. 

What you need to know about getting a vaccine in MN

Check your spot

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.

Here’s what to do

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

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.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by race, ethnicity

, 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

Malcolm, the health commissioner, 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. 

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 

COVID keeps Centennial High girls out of hockey tournament

A COVID-19 quarantine is forcing one team to miss the Minnesota High School Girls Hockey tournament.

The Centennial High School girls hockey team won't participate in this week's girl's hockey tournament because of a COVID-19 quarantine, according to the Minnesota State High School League.

The team reported it had a positive test.

Centennial, the section 5AA champion, was supposed to play Edina on Saturday. The league said it looked at options for a replacement team but could not make a plan work. Edina will advance to the next round of the tournament as a result.

Schools in Ely go remote due to COVID outbreak

Students are temporarily returning to distance learning in the northern Minnesota town of Ely because of a COVID-19 outbreak there. 

St. Louis County public officials say in the past week there have been 33 confirmed cases in Ely. That's about 15 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the entire county. 

Some of the cases are travel-related; others have been linked to social gatherings and youth sports activities. 

Ely school officials report that about two-thirds of the cases in the city have been found in the schools, mostly in the high school. As a result, students are returning to distance learning for about two weeks in an effort to stop the spread.

Public health officials say unvaccinated people who have been in close contact with a confirmed case should quarantine for two weeks, whether or not they have symptoms. 

Organizers say they're going ahead with the Twin Cities marathon events this fall, including the signature races between downtown Minneapolis and the Capitol. The races were canceled last year because of the pandemic.

The events will be smaller this year, with the marathon accepting only 4,000 entries. “Basically we're at half capacity,” said Virginia Brophy Achman, the marathon's executive director. “It's a number we can manage with the space allowed to comply with social distancing.

Marathon organizers will be urging spectators to stay away from the race course and will be restricting access in areas like the finish line, as a precaution against potential spread of COVID-19. 

School aid plan clears Minnesota House as budget debate sharpens: 

A $107 million school funding proposal passed the Minnesota House on Tuesday that is geared toward developing an array of summer education programs to offset learning loss during COVID-19.

Everything you need to know about getting COVID shots in MN

Tracking the vaccination progress in the U.S.

Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

Minnesota News

Health

Shows

Morning Edition

NewsPartners

COVID-19

MPR News Staff

Author

Will vaccinations be able to outrun the COVID-19 variants, including the highly contagious U.K. strain? The latest numbers show the state’s vaccination pace plateauing while active cases and hospitalizations rise. 

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm discusses the latest on the coronavirus in Minnesota. 

March 24 update on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccination pace flat; ICU cases rising

Go Deeper.

Like this?