COVID in Minnesota: Test-to-treat options expand as MDH reduces community testing
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Two more COVID-19 testing sites in Minnesota will begin offering test-to-treat options within the next week, bringing the total number of test-to-treat locations up to five.
The testing site at MSP Airport will begin offering test-to-treat on Thursday and the Saint Paul-Midway site will on Monday.
Test-to-treat sites allow Minnesotans who test positive for COVID-19 and are determined to be high-risk to receive a prescription for medication on-site.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, test-to-treat sites in Brooklyn Park, Moorhead and Duluth that opened earlier in the month have prescribed medication to more the 300 Minnesotans.
Additionally, the MDH is resizing its community testing network due to a fall in testing demand around Minnesota.
Testing locations in Bemidji, Bloomington, Marshall and Winona will cease regular COVID-19 testing next Wednesday. Albert Lea will discontinue testing on Saturday. Morris, North Branch and Wadena will stop testing on Tuesday.
MSP Airport will no longer offer community vaccination starting June 30 to accommodate the new test-to-treat option.
Three Twin Cities sites will continue regular testing: Brooklyn Park, MSP Airport and Saint Paul-Midway. Four Greater Minnesota sites will also continue testing: Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead and St. Cloud.
Minnesotans can get free COVID-19 tests from providers, including clinics and pharmacies, or they can receive a free at-home rapid testing kit in the mail from the state and federal governments.
Daily update from MDH
On Wednesday, health officials reported 1,572 new COVID-19 cases in Minnesota, along with seven more deaths.
One of the dead was a St. Louis County resident in their late 30s.
The latest numbers from the health department put the total case count at 1,540,417, including 77,812 reinfections. The virus has killed 12,756 Minnesotans.
The case growth rate was last reported at 25.9 daily new cases per 100,000 residents. It has been hovering around that number since the start of June.
The hospitalization rate stands at 9 new admissions per 100,000 residents, above the health department's threshold for high risk. As of Tuesday, there were 373 COVID-19 patients in Minnesota hospitals, with 31 of them requiring intensive care.
Nearly 67% of the state's total population has completed a vaccine series, while 43.6% are up to date, including boosters. Children as young as 6 months old are now eligible to receive a vaccine.
For more information on vaccines for children, click here.