Minnesota's COVID-19 update for Tuesday, December 21
Tuesday's COVID-19 update from the Minnesota Department of Health includes 7,396 newly reported cases and 41 newly reported deaths. The state's COVID-19 death toll is now 10,197.
The figures on Tuesday relate to the 72-hour reporting period ending 4 a.m. Monday, thus the number of cases is higher than what is typically reported in one day of data.
Minnesota's test positivity rate on a 7-day rolling average (through Dec. 13) is 9.1%, having recently been higher than 11%. Anything over 10% puts Minnesota in the high-risk threshold for community transmission of the coronavirus.
As of last Wednesday, the state's surveillance program had only confirmed 7 cases of the omicron variant, which is quickly becoming the dominant strain around the world, including in parts of the U.S.
Hospitalizations
Through Dec. 20, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota was 1,470 – down from the 1,485 reported on Dec. 17. Of those hospitalized, 355 people are in intensive care (down from 366) and 1,115 are in non-ICU care (down from 1,119).
The most ICU patients during the duration of the pandemic was 399 on Dec. 1, 2020.
Despite the drop in COVID hospitalizations, the latest hospital capacity data shows there are only 32 staffed adult ICU beds available in the entire state – up from 24 on Dec. 17 – and 9 pediatric ICU beds available, which is down from 13 on Dec. 17.
Minnesota Department of Health
Vaccine, booster stats
As of Dec. 19, the state reported that 3,725,062 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 3,490,578 people have completed the vaccine series. The state has administered 1,563,729 third doses/booster shots.
The percentage of Minnesota's population with at least one shot, based on age group:
- 5-11: 29%
- 12-15: 62%
- 16-17: 65%
- 18-49: 69%
- 50-64: 79%
- 65+: 97%
- Total population: 66.8%
The percentage of Minnesota's population that have completed the vaccine series, based on age group:
- 5-11: 20%
- 12-15: 57%
- 16-17: 61%
- 18-49: 65%
- 50-64: 76%
- 65+: 93%
- Total population: 62.6%
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: 15,773,963 (up from 15,686,988)
- People with at least 1 vaccine shot: 3,725,062 (up from 3,716,459)
- People who have completed vaccine series: 3,490,578 (up from 3,482,276)
- People who have had a booster/3rd shot: 1,563,729 (up from 1,514,732)
- Positive cases: 990,047 (up from 982,664)
- Reinfection cases: 12,340 (up from 12,108)
- Deaths: 10,197 – 624 of which are "probable*" (up from 10,156)
- Patients no longer requiring isolation: 945,423 (up from 945,423)
* 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.
