July 12 update on COVID-19 in MN: Active cases edge back above 1K; deaths stay low

3 things to know

• Minnesota is seeing a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases

• Active cases rise above 1,000 for the first time in weeks

• COVID-19 deaths are trending down at early-pandemic levels

Updated: 11:43 a.m.

A slow, steady trickle of new COVID-19 cases the past few weeks has pushed Minnesota’s known, active caseload above 1,000 for the first time in nearly three weeks. Still, there are no signs of the upswing Minnesota saw in April.

Hospitalizations are holding roughly steady at about 100 and the state averaged fewer than four deaths daily during the last reporting week, down to levels not seen since the earliest weeks of the pandemic.

The pace of COVID vaccinations remains sluggish, and Gov. Tim Walz last week announced a further shift from large-scale vaccination sites to smaller-scale, more-targeted efforts. Walz said the state is planning to close all but one of its COVID-19 mass vaccination sites by Aug. 7.

Metrics hover near pandemic lows

Known, active COVID-19 cases in Minnesota came in at 1,012 in Monday’s report, ending a streak of nearly three weeks with counts below 1,000.

The seven-day trend for those active cases remains under 1,000 and the counts have fallen dramatically since May 1, when Minnesota had more than 15,000 active cases.

There were 102 people in Minnesota hospitals with COVID-19 as of Friday; 23 needed intensive care. Those numbers have stayed relatively steady the past few weeks.

Two newly reported deaths on Monday raised Minnesota’s pandemic toll to 7,624. Among those who have died, about 59 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.

The state has recorded 606,484 total confirmed or probable cases in the pandemic, including the 189 posted Monday.

Roughly 99 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 have recovered to the point where they no longer need to isolate.

Regionally, all parts of Minnesota are in good shape, near record lows.

People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 112,000 since the pandemic began.

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.

Vaccination pace crawls

About 3 million residents 16 and older now have at least one vaccine dose.

More than 2.8 million are completely vaccinated as of Thursday, the most recent data available. That’s about 64.4 percent of the state’s 16-and-older population completely vaccinated and 67.4 percent with at least one shot, including 91 percent of people 65 and older.

Add in more than 111,000 12-to-15-year-olds with at least one dose and Minnesota has topped 3 million residents with one or more shots. About 53 percent of the state’s total population is now completely vaccinated.

While Minnesota’s vaccination rate recently showed an uptick, the pace has fallen dramatically since peaking in April and continues to trudge along.

At the current pace, it appears it will be late August or early September before Minnesota has 70 percent of residents 16 and older with at least one vaccine dose — a target officials once hoped to reach by July 1.

Minnesota’s also seeing big regional gaps in vaccination rates, with most counties outside the Twin Cities region still below 70 percent of adults vaccinated.

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.

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