COVID In Minnesota: 11 More Deaths Reported; Positivity Rate Notches Up To 6.7%
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With classes now fully in session for Minnesota students, health officials on Monday reported an additional 2,693 virus cases and 11 more deaths.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health's daily update, the state's total positive cases have risen to 669,176 since the pandemic began, with 7,903 deaths attributed to the virus.
Meanwhile, the latest positivity rate is still staying relatively steady at 6.7%. The positivity rate, which went as far down as 1.1% in late June, remains in the "caution" status; the line for high risk is drawn at 10%.
ICU beds remain close to fully filled in the Twin Cities metro area, and southeastern Minnesota. At latest check, 97.8% of ICU beds in the metro area were currently in use. The situation is almost as bad in southeastern Minnesota, where only 10 beds are still open (or 4.5%). The Twin Cities metro area shows 15 ICU beds still available, along with 28 non-ICU beds, which accounts for just 0.8% of the area's capacity.
As of Monday morning, figures from the Minnesota Department of Health showed that about 72.4% of Minnesotans 16 or older had received at least one dose, and 93.1% of those 65 or older had received at least one dose. In total, the state has administered 6,284,567 doses of vaccine, with about 3.16 million residents having completed their vaccine series.
There are also a reported 31 daily new cases per 100,000 Minnesota residents, which puts the state well above the line considered high risk, and still rising. The state spent the early part of summer well below the line of caution, which is drawn at only five new cases daily per 100,000 residents.
In an effort to minimize spread of the Delta variant, more mass testing sites are opening up in the metro area, including a re-opening of the testing site at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
On a national level, President Biden announced the latest effort to combat the pandemic last Thursday, saying it's his job as president to protect Americans from the deadly disease. The president had previously urged businesses to adopt their own mandates late last month before taking this significant step in requiring them.
More than 4,800 Minnesota businesses would have to comply with an incoming federal rule requiring workers at businesses with 100 or more employees to get vaccinated or tested weekly for coronavirus, the state's employment agency said, impacting 1.4 million Minnesotans who have a job.