COVID In Minnesota: 69 More Deaths Reported; Positivity Rate Ticks Up To 8.7%
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With the nation at large setting new records for daily COVID cases, Minnesota reported 5,215 new cases and 69 more deaths Wednesday.
The latest figures from the Minnesota Department of Health place the total case count at 1,015,435, which includes 13,759 reinfections. Since the start of the pandemic, 10,468 Minnesotans have died from the virus.
The figures released by the state health department showed that two of the newly-reported deaths were people in their 30s, along with two more in their 40s.
The state's rolling average positivity rate is showing signs of an uptick again, at 8.7% after dipping down to 8.2% last week; and the new daily cases per 100,000 residents stand at 54.1.
The surge in holiday COVID-19 cases is showing up at some of Minnesota's already-crowded hospitals. As of Tuesday, there were fewer than 30 intensive care unit beds are available across the entire state, with 330 ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, along with 1,018 non-ICU beds.
More than 8.66 million vaccine doses have been administered in the state, including 1.67 million boosters. Of the state's 5 and older population, 71.9% have received at least one shot.
This week, the Centers for Disease Control cut its COVID isolation guidance by half if you're positive. If you test positive, regardless of vaccination status, you only need to stay home for five days instead of 10. On the sixth day, if you have no symptoms or your symptoms have passed, you can leave. However, keep wearing a mask around others for an additional five days.
