Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

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The bolt of new and active COVID-19 cases that’s struck Minnesota in recent weeks seems to be showing signs of retreat. Hospitalizations, however, remain high and intensive care needs are edging up toward their pandemic highs.

The rate of COVID tests coming back positive is trending now just below 9 percent, according to MPR News calculations. That’s better than the prior two Wednesdays but still nearly twice the rate officials find concerning.

While the key metrics seem to be trending the right way again, officials remain concerned about a possible bounce from the Thanksgiving holiday that brought many people together indoors for celebrations, the kind of conditions that lead to more spread of COVID’s delta variant.

Minnesota remains “firmly in the grip of the delta wave,” Jan Malcolm, the state’s health commissioner, said Wednesday. All Minnesotans should be masking up in public indoor settings, regardless of where they are in the state, she added.

omicron variant has surfaced in California

 but so far hasn’t been confirmed in Minnesota. She implored people to get vaccinated if eligible and otherwise stay vigilant against COVID.

“We don’t want to give this virus any more opportunities to infect us and evade our protection,” she said.

Hospitalizations continue to be concerning. Bed counts that fell below 100 in mid-July jumped in the late fall; 1,562 people are hospitalized now with COVID with 356 needing intensive care, the highest count in nearly a year.

Hospital executives across the state say COVID patients combined with other care needs have been 

. Hospitals in this wave are seeing more people needing treatment for other illnesses along with people who delayed getting care over the past year and a half.

Urge Minnesotans to get vaccinated

Creates dangerous ER bottlenecks

What's behind Minnesota's COVID-19 spike?

Data collected by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 

, except for Lake of the Woods County, currently with a high level of virus transmission. The current surge, driven largely by the highly contagious delta variant, has been particularly hard on greater Minnesota.

On a positive note, Wednesday’s numbers showed the count of known, active cases slipped to 27,435, the lowest point in three weeks.

The state's death toll stands at 9,482, including 100 deaths newly reported on Wednesday, a total from several days over the Thanksgiving holiday. Deaths typically follow a surge in cases and hospitalizations. In past COVID-19 waves, it’s been the last of the key metrics to improve. 

Cook County in far northeastern Minnesota reported its first death from COVID; it was the last of Minnesota's 87 counties to report a death from the virus. Officials didn’t release details. 

The county’s relative remoteness and high vaccination rate — nearly 83 percent of people have received at least one vaccine dose, including nearly everyone 65 and older — have helped it fare better than other parts of Minnesota.

The state seems better positioned now than during its fall 2020 and spring 2021 spikes. More than 75 percent of state residents age 12 and older have received at least one vaccination shot, with more than 71 percent now completely vaccinated.

The state is seeing progress in getting booster shots into Minnesotans who’ve already been vaccinated. 

However, the struggle continues to get first shots into more Minnesotans. Wide gaps remain in the vaccination rates among regions and counties.

MPR News reporter Dan Kraker contributed to this report.

COVID vaccines for kids in Minnesota

And more booster questions, answered

Listen to Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing from state public health officials:

Listen to the briefing live at 2 p.m. here

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The newest numbers offer some hope the fall wave has crested. Hospitalizations, however, remain concerning. Minnesota remains “firmly in the grip” of the COVID virus, the state’s health commissioner said Wednesday.

Latest on COVID in MN: Case surge appears to ebb; hospital needs still high

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