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State public health officials have been going heavy on the racing metaphors recently. Yes, as new COVID-19 cases continue to climb, it does feel like a race to get enough Minnesotans vaccinated quickly to dodge another surge.

There was encouraging news on Saturday, as state health officials reported 77,715 additional vaccine doses administered in Minnesota — the highest single-day total yet.

That boosted the daily average over the past week to more than 42,500 vaccinations — the highest that’s been in nearly two weeks, and a welcome change from days of relatively flat vaccination numbers.

But the seven-day rolling average of new COVID cases reported each day also went up, to about 1,374 — the highest that number has been since Jan. 18. The number of active cases in Minnesota also is the highest it's been in more than two months.

Minnesota making all adults eligible for vaccine

Find a COVID-19 vaccine in Minnesota

The increasing pace of COVID cases shows the rising urgency now to

Officials are increasingly anxious about caseloads tied to the U.K. COVID-19 variant and to youth sports. They’ve confirmed more than 500 cases of the U.K. strain in recent weeks and believe as many half the state’s new cases may be tied to that variant.

Tracking cases in Minnesota

From across Minnesota

From MPR News

Analysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota

Heading into the weekend, there was no doubt the vaccination pace could use a bump.

The seven-day trend had been stuck at around 40,000 shots daily, roughly what it’s been the past few weeks, before Saturday’s bump.

As of Saturday’s update, more than 936,000

 — about 16.8 percent of the state’s population — have completed their vaccinations while more than 1.5 million — 28 percent — have received at least one dose, including more than 80 percent of people age 65 and older.

For those who’ve received a complete vaccination, the results look good. Of the hundreds of thousands of people completely vaccinated, the state said earlier this week that it’s identified only 89 who’ve subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

Health Department leaders expect a major expansion of vaccine doses the first week in April — enough to give 300,000 Minnesotans their first shot and an additional 200,000 to provide people with a second shot. 

That, together with the expanded eligibility, should go a long way to easing the concerns of a new wave, although officials noted the state won’t immediately have all the doses it needs to immediately vaccinate everyone who wants a shot.

“We have not achieved that vaccine nirvana … but we know it’s coming,” Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease director, told reporters Thursday.

Regional outbreaks concerning; active cases up

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. Saturday showed 12,894 active cases — marking nine 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 low compared to the late-fall surge, but those counts are creeping up as well. Earlier this week Health Department data showed 357 people with COVID-19 in Minnesota hospitals; 87 needed intensive care.

Four deaths reported on Saturday raised Minnesota’s collective toll to 6,825. 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 513,833 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including 1,744 posted Saturday. 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.

Regionally, all parts of Minnesota are in better shape than they were in late November and early December. Some areas are seeing upticks in cases.

Public health leaders continue to keep watch on clusters 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. 

There’s also an outbreak now in Ely, northeast of Aurora. 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. 

Here’s what to do

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.

The state is recommending young people across the state be tested every two weeks for COVID-19, with student athletes tested weekly.

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 96,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 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

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.

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

Jan Malcolm, the state 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.

Minnesota to throw open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility: 

Beginning next week, Minnesotans 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. But eligibility, state leaders say, won’t guarantee an immediate shot, as officials work to inoculate the most vulnerable first.

Latina entrepreneurs find a space online to thrive in pandemic:

 Facebook Live boutique events provide needed income for entrepreneurs and create a virtual space for community members to come together in an isolated world. One Minnesota entrepreneur is among those finding success.

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

MPR News Staff

Author

As new COVID-19 cases continue to climb, there’s a race to get Minnesotans vaccinated quickly. There was encouraging news on Saturday, as officials reported 77,715 more vaccine doses administered — the highest single-day total yet.

Evan Frost | MPR News

Newly reported COVID-19 vaccine doses in Minnesota

David H. Montgomery | MPR News

Active, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota

Graph projecting when most Minnesotans will get vaccinated

New COVID-19 related deaths reported in Minnesota each day

New Minnesota COVID-19 cases by age, adjusted for population

March 27 update on COVID-19 in MN: Record daily increase in vaccinations as cases also climb

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