COVID In Minnesota: 16K+ New Cases Tallied Over Holiday Weekend, Positivity Rate Hits 12%
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - As the demand for COVID-19 tests skyrockets, health officials on Tuesday reported 16,204 new cases and 36 deaths, which includes figures from over the holiday weekend.
In all, the Minnesota Department of Health says there have been 1,045,170 cases of COVID-19 in the state since March of 2020. There have been 16,621 reinfections, and 10,600 Minnesotans have died of the virus. All of the deaths listed on Tuesday were for December of 2021.
The seven-day average positivity rate has hit 12%, the highest it has been since December of 2020. Cases had been dipping slightly in the early part of December, but the figure has spiked back up into the "high risk" category due to the highly-contagious Omicron variant.
There are 67 new cases per 100,000 residents, and 17.5 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents. Minnesota has seen over 51,000 cases hospitalized due to the virus, and over 10,000 cases involved a stay in the ICU. As of Monday afternoon, there were 1,077 people in non-ICU beds across the state, and 293 in intensive care with COVID-19.
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Meanwhile, over 8.7 million vaccines have been administered, including over 1.7 million booster doses. State data shows that 67.6% of Minnesotans have received at least one vaccine dose, and 63.4% have completed the series.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light for COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 12, as students return to the classroom after holiday breaks. If the Center for Disease Control also signs off on the expanded eligibility, roughly 5 million more children between 12 and 15 would be eligible for an additional dose nationwide. In Minnesota, 62% of 12- to 15-year-olds have had their first dose of the vaccine.