COVID-19

COVID-19 in MN: New, active cases rising but no big surge seen

A woman gets a shot in her left arm.
In January, Hopkins Public Schools staff member Molly Warden is given her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by nurse Meghan Jo Higgins at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.
Evan Frost | MPR News file

3 things to know

  • 632 newly confirmed cases reported Monday; 6 newly reported deaths

  • Active cases top 4,000; 229 currently hospitalized

  • Positive test rate for COVID-19 remains below level officials find concerning

Updated: 2:43 p.m.

Minnesota continues to see COVID-19 cases edging higher, but the summer swing shows no signs yet of racing out of control.

Monday’s Health Department data showed Minnesota averaging a little more than 500 new cases per day over the last seven reporting days, up significantly from about 91 daily at the start of July. Known active cases in that stretch have gone from 780 to back above 4,000.

While concerning, there’s no data yet to signal explosive growth similar to mid-April or late fall.

Active, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota

The rate of tests coming back positive for COVD-19 in the past reporting week is inching up but still below the 5 percent officials find concerning.

Percent of COVID-19 tests to come back positive

With the rise of the highly contagious delta variant, federal officials recommend even vaccinated people wear a mask indoors in areas where community transmission is substantial or high. The University of Minnesota said it will require all students, faculty, staff and visitors to return to indoor masking.

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm on the latest COVID-19 numbers in MN

While about half of Minnesota counties now have what’s considered substantial community spread, officials reiterated they have no plans or power to return to any statewide restrictions or masking requirements, but they remain concerned about the current path of the virus.

“Heading up in case counts is a direction that no one wanted to go,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Monday, noting that the delta variant is responsible now for about 85 percent of new cases in the state.

“This is a very opportunistic virus,” she added, imploring eligible Minnesotans to get their shots.

Thanks to vaccinations, Minnesota is in a much better position than in November or April. Nearly 70 percent of state residents 16 and older have received at least one vaccination shot. That offers some hope this will remain a relatively mild wave.

Graph showing total COVID-19 vaccinations by age

Hospital and intensive care needs have risen, although they still aren’t close to the numbers seen in the fall and spring — 229 people are in hospital beds currently with COVID-19, including 68 needing intensive care.

Graph of new ICU and non-ICU COVID-19 hospitalizations

Deaths also remain fairly moderate even as cases and hospitalizations have risen. Malcolm said that’s due directly to vaccinations. “We are not seeing the same proportionate rise in the numbers of deaths as we’ve seen in prior waves,” she said.

On the downside, data shows this current wave is hitting Black Minnesotans especially hard.

New COVID-19 cases per capita by race

About 68.8 percent of Minnesotans 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, according to the latest data; 65.6 percent are completely vaccinated. Add in some 104,000 12-to-15-year-olds and Minnesota is very close to having 3 million people completely vaccinated.

A line chart.

Among those vaccinated, about 4,500 people, well below 1 percent, have gone on to get COVID-19 with 455 ending up hospitalized and 56 dying, Malcolm said, calling the data “amazing evidence” of the vaccines’ protection.

Officials hope by the end of August, at least 70 percent of the state’s 16-and-older population will be have at least one vaccine dose, although the rate of vaccination continues to sputter along.

Wide gaps remain in the vaccination rate among Minnesota regions.

Map of Minnesota COVID-19 eligible vaccination rate

Listen to Monday’s COVID-19 briefing from Minnesota public health officials: