COVID In Minnesota: 1,000+ New Cases Reported As Positivity Rate Hits 4.3%
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota health officials reported Friday more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 as the Delta variant continues to spread in the state.
According to the state's Dial Back Dashboard, Minnesota's average positivity rate reached 4.3% as of last week. While that figure is still below what health officials consider the threshold for caution (5%), it's more than four times higher than it was at the start of July.
Meanwhile, the average count for daily new cases per 100,000 residents has climbed to 10, putting the state in the "high risk" category. Hospitalizations are also approaching the "high risk" mark after having surpassed the "caution" threshold last week.
As of Thursday, 267 people were battling COVID-19 in Minnesota hospitals. Of them, 80 were in intensive care beds. The number of people in intensive care in Minnesota has quadrupled since the middle of last month. Just three weeks ago, fewer than 20 people were in the ICU with the virus.
In Friday's update from the Minnesota Department of Health, officials reported 1,012 new cases and six more deaths. Since the pandemic started, officials have tallied more than 617,000 total cases and 7,694 deaths.
As the highly-contagious Delta variant is leading to a surge in cases, school districts, government offices and business are again requiring that people wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The latest school district to make the change was Minneapolis Public Schools, which announced Thursday that all students, staff and visitors will have to wear masks inside starting next week.
More businesses are also requiring that employees get vaccinated. Just this week, three of the state's major healthcare providers -- HealthPartners, Allina and M Health Fairview -- all announced that they are requiring workers to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and the flu by the fall.
While vaccinated people can contract and carry the Delta variant, health officials are still urging Minnesotans to get vaccinated, as the shots greatly reduce the risk of severe and deadly illness. Currently, about 57% of Minnesota's eligible population has received one vaccine shot while 54% is fully vaccinated.
