Minnesota's COVID-19 update for Thursday, January 6

Thursday's COVID-19 update from the Minnesota Department of Health includes 6,936 newly reported cases and 62 newly reported deaths, including two people aged 25-29 from Ramsey and St. Louis counties, respectively. The state's COVID-19 death toll is now 10,733.

Today's report includes data that was reported in a 24-hour period ending at 4 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5. However, due to a technical error, MDH is including an additional 135,000 tests sprinkled in over the coming days. Those tests were delayed from Dec. 28 through Jan. 3. There are an estimated 17,000 positive results from those 135,000 tests and those positive cases will slightly boost the daily total of newly reported cases as they are processed over the next few days. 

Minnesota's test positivity rate on a 7-day rolling average (through Dec. 29) is 14.6%, Anything over 10% puts Minnesota in the high-risk threshold for community transmission of the coronavirus.

Hospitalizations

Through Jan. 5, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota was 1,469 – up from the 1,413 reported on Jan. 4. Of those hospitalized, 272 people are in intensive care (down from 285) and 1,197 are in non-ICU care (up from 1,120).

The most ICU patients during the duration of the pandemic was 399 on Dec. 1, 2020.

The latest hospital capacity data shows there are 19 staffed adult ICU beds available in the entire state – up from 13 on Jan. 4 – and 14 pediatric ICU beds available, which is up from 13 on Jan. 4.

Vaccine, booster stats

As of Jan. 4, the state reported that 3,767,666 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 3,533,681 people have completed the vaccine series. The state has administered 1,774,036 third doses/booster shots.

The percentage of Minnesota's population with at least one shot, based on age group:

• 5-11: 32%
• 12-15: 63%
• 16-17: 66%
• 18-49: 70%
• 50-64: 80%
• 65+: 97%
• Total population: 67.7%

The percentage of Minnesota's population that have completed the vaccine series, based on age group:

• 5-11: 24%
• 12-15: 58%
• 16-17: 62%
• 18-49: 65%
• 50-64: 77%
• 65+: 93%
• Total population: 63.5%

According to the CDC, which cites data from September 2021, an unvaccinated person was 5.8 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 14 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than someone who is fully vaccinated.

Coronavirus in Minnesota by the numbers

• Total tests: 16,458,153 (up from 16,343,174)
• People with at least 1 vaccine shot: 3,767,666 (up from 3,764,738)
• People who have completed vaccine series: 3,533,681 (up from 3,530,683)
• People who have had a booster/3rd shot: 1,774,036 (up from 1,761,574)
• Positive cases: 1,056,236 (up from 1,049,310)
• Reinfection cases: 17,505 (up from 16,913)
• Deaths: 10,733 – 658 of which are "probable*" (up from 10,671)
• Patients no longer requiring isolation: 1,005,849 (up from 1,005,213)

* Probable deaths are patients who died after testing positive using the COVID-19 antigen test, which is thought to be less accurate than the more common PCR test.