May 26 update on COVID-19 in MN: Walz readies vaccination perks; new cases falling
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3 things to know
Active case trend lowest since July; hospital admissions near two-month low
63.7 percent of Minnesotans 16 and older with at least one vaccine dose; 57.2 percent — more than 2.5 million people — now completely vaccinated
Minnesota’s vaccination pace stabilizing; Gov. Tim Walz rolling out vaccination incentives on Thursday
Updated 5:47 p.m.
With Minnesota poised to top 600,000 total COVID-19 cases in the pandemic, Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday will roll out incentives designed to nudge unvaccinated Minnesotans to get their shots.
The governor’s office late Wednesday said Walz will propose a “Your Shot to Summer” campaign offering perks to 100,000 Minnesotans who get vaccinated between Memorial Day weekend and the end of June.
They’ll be “eligible to choose from a wide range of incentives that will include state park passes and fishing licenses as well as fair and amusement park tickets,” a Walz spokesperson said.
The governor is expected to speak at 2 p.m. Thursday.
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State officials are aiming to get 70 percent of Minnesotans 16 and older vaccinated by July 1. Current projections show that goal reachable in early June.
Overall, state data continues to show the pandemic is in retreat.
The trend of new daily cases is at its lowest level since early July. Known, active cases have receded to mid-September levels. Those are good signs as Minnesota prepares to end all remaining statewide COVID-19 curbs on Friday in time for the Memorial Day weekend.
Active cases, hospitalizations receding
After an anxious April, it appears Minnesota’s spring surge is over.
The count of known, active COVID-19 cases is down to 4,824 — below 5,000 for the first time since mid-September and down 75 percent from its most recent high of around 20,000 in mid-April.
Wednesday’s data also shows only 2.67 percent of COVID-19 tests the past week came back positive for the disease, according to MPR News calculations. That’s the lowest average positivity rate since spring 2020.
There were 364 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota; 90 needed intensive care. Both figures continue to trend down from their April peaks. The count of intensive care patients is at its lowest point since late March.
New hospital admissions are also trending at around two-month lows.
Twelve newly reported deaths put Minnesota’s pandemic toll at 7,393. Among those who have died, about 60 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted-living facilities; most had underlying health problems.
The state has recorded 599,909 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including the 438 posted Wednesday — the 12th consecutive day of fewer than 1,000 new cases and the first time since early September the state’s seen four straight days below 500.
About 98 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point where they no longer need to isolate.
Regionally, all parts of Minnesota are in better shape than they were in late November and early December. Case counts had crept up across the state during April, but the trend is clearly on the slide.
People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — about 111,000 since the pandemic began. The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 49,000 15-to-19-year-olds known to be infected during the pandemic.
Although young people are less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts worry they can spread it unknowingly to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations. Those with the COVID-19 virus can spread it when they don’t have symptoms.
Vaccination pace stabilizing
After a roller coaster few months, the seven-day vaccination trend appears to be stabilizing at just under 40,000 shots a day.
More than 2.8 million residents 16 and older now have at least one vaccine dose. More than 2.5 million have completed their vaccinations as of Wednesday’s update.
That works out to about 57.2 percent of the 16-and-older population completely vaccinated and 63.7 percent with at least one shot, including 89 percent of those 65 and older.
Minnesota’s also seeing notable growth in the number of children ages 12 to 15 getting vaccinated in the two weeks since federal authorities approved the Pfizer vaccine for use at those ages.
Health Department data shows more than 62,000 Minnesota 12-to-15-year-olds with at least one dose. That’s more than 20 percent of that population already with at least one shot.
State public health leaders have been pleading with those still not vaccinated to get their shots. Eligible Minnesotans can now walk in for a COVID-19 vaccination without an appointment at the state’s community vaccination program locations.
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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.