COVID In Minnesota: ICU Hospitalizations Jump To 138, Compared To 37 One Month Ago; 19 New Deaths Reported

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The state of Minnesota is just shy of administering its three-millionth COVID vaccination. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health is now reporting a total of 2,004 more cases and 19 more deaths due to the virus. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 532,658 positive cases and 6,908 deaths.

The latest figures of those hospitalized show 138 Minnesotans in ICU, a figure not seen since the middle of January and a sharp increase in just the last few days. Near the beginning of March, that figure dipped below 40.

The figures show hospitalization figures decidedly on the rise, with an average of 8.8 new daily hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. Anything above 8 hospitalizations per 100,000 is considered high risk.

The state's rolling average positivity rate is now at 6.3%; at the start of March it was at 3.5%. Anything above 5% is considered cause for increased caution. Additionally, the rate of community spread is as high as has ever been tallied, with 46.3% of cases reported with no known source of exposure, an increase of more than 5% in just over a week. The line of caution is drawn at 20%.

According to Minnesota's health department, Minnesota processed 25,604 COVID tests since the last reported figures. Since the pandemic began, more than 3.76 million Minnesotans have been tested.

As of Monday, Minnesota has administered 2,995,997 doses of vaccine, with 1,218,492 people having completed the entire vaccine series. Roughly 1.87 million Minnesotans, or just over one-third of the state's overall population, have received at least one dose.

The current tally also indicates that 83% of seniors (age 65 and older) in Minnesota are now vaccinated, a figure the state has been sitting on for a number of days now. The state also reports that 42% 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.