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Minnesota enters the first full week of 2021 with COVID-19 numbers in a much better place than they were a month ago.

But there have been signs in recent days that a weekslong downward trend in new cases, hospital admissions and test positivity rates might be leveling off.

Sunday’s update from state health officials covered two days’ worth of data, catching up from the New Year’s Day holiday. That temporarily muddles the weekly averages that can show pandemic trends better than the day-to-day numbers.

But prior to Sunday’s updated numbers, there were signs of a possible stall in what had been a steady decline in several key metrics.

The average test positivity rate over the past week is now about 7.1 percent in Minnesota — up from about 4.7 percent last Sunday. Average daily case counts had increased from about 1,700 early last week, to nearly 1,900 as of Saturday’s update.

It remains too early to tell whether those upticks are a short-term aberration or if they will endure — and some reporting of statistics might be affected by the end-of-year holidays. It’s something that will be closely monitored as we head further into January — and officials already were watching for signs of any case increases that might be tied to holiday gatherings.

COVID-19 vaccinations continue around the state. As of Saturday’s update from the Minnesota Department of Health, just over 57,000 people had received at least one of the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; that figure was not updated on Sunday. Health care workers and long-term care facility residents have priority for the limited number of doses currently available.

The state has so far received nearly 170,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and nearly 128,000 of the Moderna vaccine.

Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics, reported on Sunday and covering two days’ worth of data:

• 5,430 deaths (53 new)
• 420,544 positive cases (2,714 new), 403,419 off isolation (96 percent)
• 5.7 million tests, 3 million people tested (about 52 percent of the population)
• 7.1 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent concerning)

Caseloads spread across age groups

People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 80,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 42,000 among people ages 20 to 24.

The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 32,000 total cases among those ages 15 to 19 since the pandemic began.

Although less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts worry youth and young adults will spread it to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations.

It’s of particular concern because people can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they don’t have symptoms.

New cases ebb across Minnesota

Central and western Minnesota drove much of the increase in new cases over the past two months, while Hennepin and Ramsey counties showed some of the slowest case growth in the state.

Cases continue to fall statewide, with most regions dipping down to levels before the state’s COVID-19 surge that hit in November and early December.

Hot spots continue to pop up in rural counties relative to their population.

Caseloads still heaviest among people of color

In Minnesota and across the country, COVID-19 has hit communities of color disproportionately hard in both cases and deaths. That’s been especially true for Minnesotans of Hispanic descent for much of the pandemic.

Even as new case counts ease from their peak a few weeks ago, the data shows people of color continue to be hit hardest.

Distrust of the government, together with deeply rooted health and economic disparities, have hampered efforts to boost testing among communities of color, officials say, especially among unauthorized immigrants who fear their personal information may be used to deport them.

Similar trends have been seen among Minnesota’s Indigenous residents. Counts among Indigenous people jumped in October relative to population.

South-central Minnesota update

Freeborn County reported 14 new cases, increasing the county’s cumulative total to 2,031. Of that number, 104 are considered active cases.

The new cases included five people in their 20s, three people in their 30s, one person in their 40s, three people in their 60s and one person in their 80s. The age was unknown for one person.

The following is an update from other area counties:

• Faribault County: seven new probable cases; 929 total cases

• Mower County: 10 new lab-confirmed cases, two probable cases; 3,355 total cases

• Steele County: seven new lab-confirmed cases; 2,535 total cases

• Waseca County: seven new lab-confirmed cases; 1,779 total cases

 

Minnesota COVID-19 cases, deaths

County	Total confirmed cases	Total probable cases	Total cases	Total deaths
Aitkin	1,010	22	1,032	32
Anoka	27,279	2,031	29,310	332
Becker	2,660	51	2,711	36
Beltrami	2,786	124	2,910	43
Benton	3,775	173	3,948	82
Big Stone	432	9	441	3
Blue Earth	5,053	38	5,091	30
Brown	1,988	42	2,030	32
Carlton	2,319	315	2,634	38
Carver	6,220	305	6,525	34
Cass	1,910	38	1,948	20
Chippewa	1,251	34	1,285	30
Chisago	4,026	202	4,228	28
Clay	6,140	72	6,212	78
Clearwater	640	22	662	14
Cook	106	0	106	0
Cottonwood	1,148	80	1,228	15
Crow Wing	4,493	65	4,558	67
Dakota	29,564	1,200	30,764	281
Dodge	1,181	5	1,186	4
Douglas	3,398	133	3,531	60
Faribault	921	8	929	11
Fillmore	1,107	14	1,121	1
Freeborn	2,021	10	2,031	18
Goodhue	3,082	38	3,120	48
Grant	391	3	394	7
Hennepin	84,635	2,751	87,386	1,405
Houston	1,153	47	1,200	13
Hubbard	1,380	23	1,403	37
Isanti	2,516	158	2,674	33
Itasca	2,670	40	2,710	40
Jackson	752	48	800	8
Kanabec	914	21	935	18
Kandiyohi	5,361	49	5,410	66
Kittson	306	36	342	18
Koochiching	542	11	553	9
Lac qui Parle	568	46	614	15
Lake	514	46	560	15
Lake of the Woods	149	5	154	1
Le Sueur	1,953	22	1,975	15
Lincoln	448	8	456	1
Lyon	2,802	70	2,872	29
Mahnomen	396	1	397	7
Marshall	664	16	680	13
Martin	1,559	26	1,585	25
McLeod	3,061	43	3,104	40
Meeker	1,870	27	1,897	32
Mille Lacs	1,980	68	2,048	43
Morrison	2,828	113	2,941	43
Mower	3,310	45	3,355	25
Murray	720	41	761	5
Nicollet	2,057	45	2,102	33
Nobles	3,477	63	3,540	46
Norman	411	2	413	8
Olmsted	9,415	40	9,455	64
Otter Tail	4,109	151	4,260	51
Pennington	831	77	908	14
Pine	2,402	112	2,514	12
Pipestone	851	30	881	21
Polk	3,023	194	3,217	52
Pope	687	5	692	4
Ramsey	36,258	1,314	37,572	698
Red Lake	270	41	311	4
Redwood	1,289	29	1,318	26
Renville	1,257	51	1,308	39
Rice	5,525	75	5,600	57
Rock	964	74	1,038	10
Roseau	1,499	113	1,612	14
Scott	10,825	359	11,184	84
Sherburne	7,283	495	7,778	57
Sibley	998	34	1,032	5
St. Louis	12,184	554	12,738	212
Stearns	16,574	519	17,093	173
Steele	2,527	8	2,535	9
Stevens	669	8	677	6
Swift	775	22	797	16
Todd	2,225	20	2,245	27
Traverse	191	29	220	2
Wabasha	1,513	8	1,521	2
Wadena	1,097	39	1,136	12
Waseca	1,773	6	1,779	15
Washington	18,093	669	18,762	194
Watonwan	1,028	7	1,035	7
Wilkin	572	20	592	7
Winona	3,582	35	3,617	45
Wright	10,254	729	10,983	90
Yellow Medicine	829	62	891	14
Unknown/missing	417	24	441	0