COVID In MN: 9,873 New Cases Reported Over Holiday Weekend
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A day after federal health officials loosened the isolation guidelines for asymptomatic people with COVID-19, Minnesota reported 9,873 new cases and 40 more deaths.
The numbers reported Tuesday include a data lag due to the holiday weekend and are current as of 4 a.m. Monday.
The latest figures from the Minnesota Department of Health place the total case count at 1,010,225, which includes 13,382 reinfections. Since the start of the pandemic, 10,399 Minnesotans have died from the virus.
One of the newly reported dead was a Benton County resident in their late 30s.
The state's positivity rate was at 8.6% as of Dec. 20, and the new daily cases per 100,000 residents stand at 52.8.
As of Monday, 334 intensive care unit beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, along with 1031 non-ICU beds.
More than 8.6 million vaccine doses have been administered in the state, including 1.6 million boosters. Of the state's 5 and older population, 71.8% have received at least one shot.
The Centers for Disease Control announced Monday that Americans who test positive for COVID-19 but do not have symptoms can stop isolating after five days as long as they continue wearing masks.
"CDC's updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. "These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives."