June 10 update on COVID-19 in MN: Active cases stay below 2K; vaccinations inch ahead
3 things to know
Active case trend lowest since April 2020
65.5 percent of Minnesotans 16 and older with at least one vaccine dose; 60.5 percent now completely vaccinated
At current pace, state won’t meet July 1 goal of 70 percent vaccinated adults
Updated: 11:54 a.m.
Thursday’s COVID-19 numbers show some of the key disease indicators at or near their lowest levels since the earliest months of the pandemic. Newly reported cases and known, active cases are trending at their the lowest since April 2020.
The vaccination pace, though, continues to crawl, making it extremely unlikely the state will reach its goal of getting at least one vaccine dose into 70 percent of the state’s 16-and-older population by July 1.
New, active case counts hover near April 2020 lows
The basic numbers around the pandemic continue to look good.
The state’s averaged 211 new cases a day over the past seven reporting days, the lowest since April 2020. Five weeks ago, that count topped 1,500 a day.
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The count of known, active COVID-19 cases came in at 1,617, with the the seven-day average falling below 2,000 for the first time since April 2020. On May 1, Minnesota had more than 15,000 known, active cases. At one point in November, it topped 50,000.
The Health Department reported 203 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota, with 56 in intensive care. Both figures continue to slide from their spring peaks. In late April, hospitalizations were approaching 700 people, with more than 200 in ICUs.
Average daily hospital admissions have fallen by more than half over the past month or so. ICU admissions are trending at their lowest levels since near the start of the pandemic.
Seven newly reported deaths on Thursday put Minnesota’s pandemic toll at 7,484. Among those who have died, about 59 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted-living facilities; most had underlying health problems.
The state recorded 603,305 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including the 175 posted Thursday.
About 98 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point where they no longer need to isolate.
Regionally, all parts of Minnesota are in better shape than they were in late November and early December. Case counts had crept up across the state during April, but now they are low and falling in every age group and region.
People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 111,000 since the pandemic began.
Although young people are less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts worry they can spread it unknowingly to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations.
Vaccination pace crawling
Nearly 2.9 million residents 16 and older now have at least one vaccine dose. More than 2.6 million are completely vaccinated. That works out to about 60.5 percent completely vaccinated and 65.5 percent with at least one shot, including 90 percent of people 65 and older.
The vaccination pace, however, has been largely in free-fall since peaking in April. While there’s some evidence that the pace is bottoming out, it still looks like it will be late July before the state reaches 70 percent of adults with at least one shot.
Officials have noted that the 70-percent vaccination threshold has been reached in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, but the pace is languishing in much of the rest of the state.
Minnesota has seen notable growth in the number of children ages 12 to 15 getting vaccinated since mid-May when federal authorities approved the Pfizer vaccine for use at those ages.
Health Department data shows more than 90,000 12-to-15-year-olds with at least one dose. That’s about 31 percent of that population already with at least one shot. The pace, though, has fallen following an early surge.
COVID-19 in Minnesota
Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at the Health Department website.