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An August that opened with hope the end was near for the COVID-19 pandemic is closing with no precise sense of when this latest wave will crest.

Tuesday’s Health Department data showed Minnesota averaging nearly 1,400 new cases per day over the last seven reporting days — more than twice the number at the start of August and dramatically higher than the 91 daily at the start of July.

That growth is compounding worries among state public health officials about the potential viral spread among the expected big crowds heading for the Minnesota State Fair, which starts Thursday.

Asked if she was nervous about the event given the highly contagious delta variant, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters, “The honest answer to that is yes.” She stressed that getting vaccinated is the best thing people can do to protect themselves.

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“Of course we’re concerned” about the fair, “but we believe that people have the information to make good choices,” she said, noting federal recommendations calling for people to be masked in large outdoor gatherings.

Health Department officials noted that they’ve confirmed nine cases of COVID-19 to date connected to the early-August WE Fest music festival in Detroit Lakes, Minn., along with 13 cases so far associated with the recent massive motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. 

Overall Minnesota cases have accelerated since the start of July, driven by the delta variant, leading to more sickness and hospitalizations. Known, active cases in that stretch went from 780 to 10,859 in Tuesday’s data.

The rate of tests coming back positive continued to trend just above the 5 percent threshold that public health officials find concerning.

Hospital and intensive care needs have risen, although they still haven’t reached peak counts seen in the fall and spring — 547 people are in hospital beds currently with COVID-19, including 153 needing intensive care. During the mid-April wave, 202 patients at one point needed ICU beds.

Malcolm and other officials continued to implore people to stay vigilant against COVID-19, including wearing layers of masks in circumstances where masks are recommended, like the fair.

“We aren't going to wish away this virus, and delta is particularly good at finding you if you let down your guard,” state infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann told reporters Tuesday.

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Minnesota remains better positioned now than during the fall and spring spikes.

The biggest difference: More than 71 percent of state residents 16 and older have received at least one vaccination shot. Add in the more than 148,000 12-to-15-year-olds with at least one shot so far and the state has nearly 3.3 million residents partially or completely vaccinated.

More than half of every eligible age group in Minnesota has at least one dose of vaccine. 

Still, it remains slow going getting more Minnesotans vaccinated, and wide gaps remain in the vaccination rate among state regions. 

Ehresmann on Tuesday said booster shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available starting Sept. 20 but that people must wait eight months from their second shot before getting the booster.

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Listen to the Tuesday briefing from Minnesota public health leaders:

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Concerned about viral spread at the Minnesota State Fair, health officials on Tuesday implored people to stay vigilant against the disease. “We aren't going to wish away this virus,” the state’s infectious disease director told reporters.

A man pulls a shot into a vial with a woman sitting next to him.

Evan Frost | MPR News file

Active, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota

David H. Montgomery | MPR News

Percent of COVID-19 tests to come back positive

Graph of new ICU and non-ICU COVID-19 hospitalizations

Graph showing total COVID-19 vaccinations by age

Map of Minnesota COVID-19 eligible vaccination rate

COVID-19 in MN: No signs of a peak; officials worry over State Fair crowds

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