Child from the Twin Cities, school staff member die from COVID
A child from the Twin Cities and a school staff member are among the Minnesotans to have recently died from COVID.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported both deaths Thursday in its regular updates.
The child who died was between 10 and 14 years old and lived in Dakota County, MDH said. They are the first child in that specific age bracket to die from COVID-19 in Minnesota, according to MDH data. COVID has killed a total of eight people age 18 and under in the state.
Related: You can now order 4 free at-home COVID tests from the government
Less information is known about the school staff member.
MDH's weekly report shows one additional COVID death among PreK-12 school staffers. It brings the total number of school staffer COVID fatalities since the start of the pandemic to 20. A total of 334 school staff members have been hospitalized due to COVID, with 61 requiring ICU treatment.
The state has recorded three school-related student deaths.
Minnesota continues to battle an omicron-fueled surge, though experts say the peak may have already happened in parts of the state (though reported cases, which lag what happening in real time) will remain high until at least next week.
A few cities across the state have reinstated public mask mandates or, in the case of the Twin Cities, vaccination and testing requirements.
Some schools, facing pandemic-related staffing shortages, have shifted to online or hybrid learning options.
Meanwhile, strained hospitals and clinics across the state have issued plea after plea for people to take precautions, with some even restricting visitors and instituting vaccination policies.
