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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — As airlines and other public transportation providers drop mask mandates in the wake of a federal judge’s ruling, Minnesota’s case growth rate has climbed back above the line for high risk.
Tuesday’s update from the Minnesota Department of Health puts the figure for daily new cases per 100,000 residents at 10.9, just above the high risk threshold of 10. After peaking at nearly 250 in January, the figure had been falling for about three months.
MDH no longer reports positivity rate due to changing federal test reporting requirements.
The hospitalization rate remains below the caution line, at 3.3 admissions per 100,000 residents. Just 60 of the state’s hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients as of Monday. Five of those cases required intensive care.
Health officials on Tuesday also reported 1,742 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths. Minnesota has seen 1,440,303 total cases, including 64,043 reinfections. The virus has killed 12,472 Minnesotans.
Of the eligible population, nearly 71% have completed a vaccine series, though only 49% are up to date with their doses, meaning they’ve received all doses for which they are eligible, including boosters.
On Monday, a federal judge in Florida voided the national mask mandate covering airlines and other public transit, saying the mandate exceeded the authority of U.S. health officials.
Source: CBS
