COVID in Minnesota: 1,887 cases, 4 deaths
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota health officials report another 1,887 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths in the state.
Case growth looks to have plateaued slightly, hovering at 26.9 cases per 100,000 residents, though it's still above the "high-risk" threshold, which is drawn at 10 cases. Hospitalizations have dipped to 8.7 cases per 100,000 residents.
In all, the state has seen over 1.53 million COVID-19 cases since March of 2020, of which more than 77,000 were reinfections. A total of 12,744 Minnesotans have died due to the virus.
As of Thursday afternoon, 393 Minnesotans are in hospitals with COVID-19, of which 31 are in the ICU.
The latest wastewater data update in the metro area shows that the viral RNA load of COVID-19 has dropped 12% in the last week. The Omicron subvariant BA.2 made up 58% of the RNA load, down from 68% the week before. Officials believe the subvariant BA.5 will become dominant over the next few weeks.
At the same time, over 10 million vaccines have been administered, and 75.2% of the state's eligible population has received their first dose.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized vaccines for children as young as 6 months hold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must still approve of the measure, which could happen within days.
The move would expand eligibility to 20 million babies and toddlers.