COVID In Minnesota: Positivity Rate Climbs To 4.9%, MDH Releases Vaccine Breakthrough Data
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Health officials reported 1,690 cases of COVID-19 and seven additional deaths on Tuesday, as the Delta variant continues to spread across Minnesota.
As of last week, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Minnesota reached 4.9%, inching closer to the 5% "caution" threshold. It's been over three months since the positivity rate was over 5%, and the figure bottomed out at 1.1% at the end of June.
Daily new cases per 100,000 residents has crossed over into the "high risk" category and hospitalizations are also increasing. As of Monday afternoon, there were 333 people in Minnesota hospitals with COVID-19, of which 92 were in the ICU.
Health officials stress that though breakthrough cases are possible, the most effective method to protect against COVID-19 is to get the vaccine.
More than 3 million Minnesotans have completed the vaccine series so far, and 69.8% of those 16 and older have received at least one dose. Nearly 90% of seniors 65 and older are fully inoculated, while 45% of 12- to 15-year-olds have received their first does.
The Minnesota Department of Health updated their website on Tuesday to add COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough data. A breakthrough case is identified as when a person "tests positive 14 or more days after their final dose of vaccine, and the person has not previously tested positive for COVID-19."
As of mid-July, MDH has recorded 5,599 breakthrough cases, which makes up less than 0.2% of people who are fully vaccinated in Minnesota. The dashboard also indicates that 514 breakthrough cases were hospitalized, and 57 died. MDH stresses that hospitalizations and deaths among the vaccinated is uncommon, as 0.02% of people who are fully vaccinated were hospitalized and 0.002% died.
As the start of the school year nears, schools are debating masking policies for students and staff. Minneapolis Public Schools approved the masking requirement last week, while the St. Paul School Board will meet on Tuesday to decide on the mandate. The Waconia School Board decided to keep masks optional after parents voiced their concerns on both sides of the debate during a packed meeting Monday night.
Earlier on Monday, the University of Minnesota announced that it will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as the vaccine receives approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Previously, the school had said it would not require vaccines, as a survey found many students to already be vaccinated.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Minnesota Department of Health has tallied 620,591 cases of COVID-19 and 7,705 deaths.