COVID In Minnesota: Cases Continue Spiking, With 2,140 Newly Reported Cases, 12 More Deaths

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With COVID-19 cases surging once again in a number of states, and more of the newly hospitalized patients reflecting the younger demographics that, to this point, haven't largely been affected by the virus, Minnesota's health department reports 2,140 new cases of the virus and 12 newly reported deaths.

The state hasn't topped 2,000 daily new cases since the first week of January.

The state's rolling average positivity rate, which recently topped the 5% rate that would indicate caution for authorities working to determine what restrictions should apply to venues, now sits at 5.4%, a rate the state also hasn't seen since early January.

Additionally, the rate of community spread -- or cases with no known exposure -- is as high as has ever been tallied, with 44.2% of cases falling into that category. The line of caution is drawn at 20%.

Hospitalization figures continue to also rise, with an average of 8 new daily hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. Anything above 8 hospitalizations per 100,000 is considered high risk.

The latest figures of those hospitalized show 105 Minnesotans in ICU. Near the beginning of March, that figure dipped below 40.

State health officials have said case growth is being driven by more contagious mutations of the coronavirus, specifically a variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom in January.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 521,667 positive cases and 6,860 deaths.

According to Minnesota's health department, Minnesota processed 42,603 COVID tests within the last 24 hours. Since the pandemic began, more than 3.7 million Minnesotans have been tested.

As of Tuesday, Minnesota has administered about 2.67 million doses of vaccine, with 1,057,848 people having completed the entire vaccine series. Roughly 1.68 million Minnesotans, or just shy of one-third of the state's overall population, have received at least one dose.

The current tally also indicates that 82% of seniors (age 65 and older) in Minnesota are now vaccinated. The state also reports that 38% of Minnesotans age 16 and older have already received at least one dose.

The state has a Vaccine Connector program to help notify you when a vaccine becomes available to you. People who sign up for the connector may also be randomly selected for one of the state's community vaccination sites.