COVID In Minnesota: State Estimates 60% Of Residents Have Had COVID

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesota officials on Tuesday reported 2,563 new cases and one more death due to COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, 12,494 Minnesotans have died from the virus.

Meanwhile, the state released new estimates indicating that health officials believe that about 60% of the state’s residents — or roughly 3.3 million people — have been infected with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. That figure would be slightly higher than the national average of an estimated 57.7%.

In comparison, the latest official figures from the Minnesota Department of Health place the total case count at 1,447,575, which includes 64,792 tracked reinfections.

The rate of new daily cases per 100,000 residents stands at 14.9, which is above the line of high risk and on an upswing, but still down significantly from the mid-January peak of nearly 230. Hospitalization rates have been holding steady below the line for caution over recent weeks. The figure is currently at 3.7 per 100,000 residents, down from nearly 30 in January.

A total of 9,759,548 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, including more than 2.22 million boosters. Of the state’s 5 and older population, 74.9% have received at least one shot; that figure is at 96.5% among the state’s 65+ population.

There have now been 62,228 hospitalizations for COVID-19, according to the latest figures, 11,480 of which were ICU hospitalizations.

The number of people currently listed in ICU with COVID-19 is also hovering far below the figures reported in previous months, currently sitting at 20 and staying largely in place as of late. Until late February, that figure hadn’t been below 100 since last August.

There are currently 235 COVID patients in non-ICU beds; that figure shows some signs of movement upward.

Source: CBS