Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Hospital needs, caseloads falling as surge recedes
3 things to know:
472 hospitalized; 60 in ICU; hospitalizations falling quickly
Active case counts trending at lowest point since August
Minnesota courts lifting masking requirement starting Monday
Updated: 3:47 p.m.
Minnesota’s pandemic path continues to brighten, with fewer than 500 patients in the hospital now and known, active cases trending near a seven-month low.
The metrics haven’t yet hit their summer bottoms but are rapidly moving that way. The Minnesota Health Department reported fewer than 800 new cases per day over the last seven reporting days. Two weeks ago, the trend was running at more than 2,300 cases daily.
Overall, there are about 6,400 active, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota. That’s down dramatically from mid-January, when active cases topped 67,000. The active count has stayed below 10,000 for eight consecutive days, the first time that’s happened since August.
Hospitalizations are also falling rapidly — 472 people are currently in the hospital with COVID, with 60 needing an intensive care bed. ICU needs are the lowest since July. Two weeks ago, state data showed 801 COVID hospitalizations with 126 ICU patients.
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Hospitals across the state had been stretched to the breaking point at the start of the year as COVID cases and other rising health care needs grew rapidly.
Health officials continue to plead for vigilance against the disease, including masking in indoor public spaces, as the numbers are still somewhat high. In late June, Minnesota appeared to be through the worst of the pandemic.
The most recent map from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows significant improvement, with many counties stepping down from high viral transmission to “substantial.”
Three counties — Norman, Swift and Kanabec — are down to moderate levels of transmission.
Local governments continue to lift indoor masking restrictions. On Friday, Hennepin County said visitors to most of its county buildings will no longer be required to wear a mask as of Monday. Masking may still be required in correctional and health care settings.
In Duluth, officials with its public school district said Friday that masks will be optional in schools starting Monday, as COVID-19 cases in the community continue to decline. A number of Twin Cities-area districts have also dropped mask mandates in recent weeks and Rochester Public Schools is relaxing its masking mandate, also starting Monday.
Minnesota’s judicial branch, including district and appellate courts and the Minnesota Supreme Court, said Friday it’s is also lifting the statewide order requiring face coverings in court facilities, starting Monday.
The state’s positive test rate has been moving steadily downward, with sample data showing positivity falling below the 5 percent threshold state health officials find concerning.
Eleven newly reported deaths put the state's death toll at 12,183. 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. Death rates have been falling in recent weeks.
Vaccinations have put Minnesota in a better position now than during its fall 2020 and spring 2021 spikes: 78 percent of state residents age 12 and older have received at least one vaccination shot, with 74 percent now completely vaccinated.
Officials say roughly 70 percent of Minnesota’s total population is now vaccinated with at least one shot, with about two-thirds completely vaccinated.
The struggle continues to get first shots into more Minnesotans, especially in central Minnesota.
MPR News reporter Dan Kraker contributed to this story.