COVID In Minnesota: MDH Releases Holiday Weekend Figures, With 3,014 More Cases And 4 Deaths

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Department of Health has an update on new COVID-19 cases, and the data reported Tuesday includes figures that had not yet been processed due to the Easter holiday, accounting for information from the prior two days. The state is now reporting a total of 3,014 more cases and four more deaths due to the virus.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 530,662 positive cases and 6,889 deaths.

According to Minnesota's health department, Minnesota processed 29,508 COVID tests since the last reported figures. Since the pandemic began, more than 3.75 million Minnesotans have been tested.

This news follows the announcement that the Minnesota State Fairgrounds will serve as a federally supported COVID-19 vaccination site this spring. It will administer 168,000 doses over eight weeks beginning April 14. These doses are in addition to Minnesota's regular vaccine allocations.

As of Monday, Minnesota has administered 2,947,450 doses of vaccine, with 1,192,051 people having completed the entire vaccine series. Roughly 1.84 million Minnesotans, or a bit 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. The state also reports that 42% of Minnesotans age 16 and older have already received at least one dose.

The state's rolling average positivity rate is now at 6%; at the start of March it was at 3.5%. A 5% rate or higher indicates caution for authorities working to determine what restrictions should apply to venues.

Additionally, the rate of community spread -- or cases with no known exposure -- is as high as has ever been tallied and rising quickly, with 46.3% of cases falling into that category, an increase of more than 5% in just over a week. The line of caution is drawn at 20%.

Hospitalization figures are also on the rise, with an average of 8.3 new daily hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. Anything above 8 hospitalizations per 100,000 is considered high risk.

The latest figures of those hospitalized show 114 Minnesotans in ICU, a figure not seen since the middle of January. Near the beginning of March, that figure dipped below 40.

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.

Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz announced a new outreach campaign focused on "connecting workers in critical industries to the resources they need to get vaccinated." The first week of the campaign targets the food service industry.

"Making vaccines accessible to frontline workers in this industry will help us return to the things we love, including joining our friends and families at our favorite restaurants, bars, and breweries," Walz said in a release.

The Centers for Disease Control has released new guidance on transmission of COVID-19 from contaminated surfaces. The CDC says that people can get infected via contaminated surfaces, but the risk is now low. The CDC Director says regular cleaning of these surfaced with soap or detergent works. Disinfection is not always necessary.