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Nearly 12 percent of Minnesota residents have now received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, as the pace of vaccinations in the state has ticked upward in recent days.

State health officials on Sunday reported nearly 39,000 more vaccine doses administered — the fourth-biggest single-day total on record. It was a drop from Saturday’s total — but slightly ahead of what was reported last Sunday.

Minnesota now ranks 24th among states in doses administered per 100,000 people, according to data collected by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 28th the previous day. With federal vaccine shipments rising, the pace of vaccinations may increase in the coming days.

Officials have been emphasizing over the past weeks that the relatively low flow of vaccine supplies from the federal government is the main problem holding back the pace of vaccinations. There’s data to back that up.

Nearly 34 percent of Minnesotans 65 and older have now been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 data continues to offer reasons to be encouraged about the pandemic’s path. Key trend lines around the disease continued to move in the right direction — down.

Hospitalization counts remain steady at late September/early October levels. The trend line for known, active caseloads remains at levels not seen since late September.

Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:

• 6,376 deaths (seven new)
• 473,567 positive cases (779 new), 459,525 off isolation (97 percent)
• 6.97 million tests, 3.37 million Minnesotans tested (about 59 percent of the population)
• 11.9 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose

About 97 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point they no longer need to be isolated.

State officials continue to caution that the hopeful trends are still tenuous, noting the new virus strains arriving in the United States, including two cases of the Brazilian strain and 18 of the U.K. variant confirmed so far in Minnesota.

Cases spread across age groups, regions

People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 89,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 47,000 among people ages 20 to 24.

The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 36,000 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 unknowingly to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations.

People can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they don’t have symptoms.

Cases are trending down across all regions of the state following a late December, early January blip.

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 continue to fall from their late November, early December peaks, the data shows Latino people continue to be hit hard.

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.

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm on Thursday also acknowledged the need to ensure that vaccination opportunities be spread equitably.

Malcolm said the state will release data soon regarding vaccinations, race and ethnicity. Officials say they’re trying to improve the quality of data. Per state law, it’s been shared voluntarily, and so may be inconsistent.

South-central Minnesota update

Freeborn County reported five new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, increasing the cumulative cases to 2,716. Of that number, 53 are considered active cases.

According to the Freeborn County Public Health Department, one new person was hospitalized, and no new deaths were reported.

The new deaths included one person between 15 and 19, one person in their 40s, one person in their 50s and two people in their 60s.

The following are updates about other area counties:

• Faribault County: six new lab-confirmed cases, one probable case; 1,181 total cases

• Mower County: one new lab-confirmed case, one probable case; 3,937 total cases

• Steele County: four new lab-confirmed cases; 2,944 total cases

• Waseca County: six new lab-confirmed cases; 2,031 total cases

 

 

Minnesota COVID-19 cases, deaths

County	Total confirmed cases	Total probable cases	Total cases	Total deaths
Aitkin	1,124	27	1,151	33
Anoka	29,819	2,738	32,557	379
Becker	2,901	106	3,007	41
Beltrami	3,042	247	3,289	48
Benton	4,171	206	4,377	90
Big Stone	481	16	497	3
Blue Earth	5,665	58	5,723	34
Brown	2,298	51	2,349	37
Carlton	2,524	431	2,955	43
Carver	6,899	493	7,392	40
Cass	2,086	61	2,147	24
Chippewa	1,308	41	1,349	35
Chisago	4,529	301	4,830	43
Clay	6,597	138	6,735	84
Clearwater	669	37	706	14
Cook	116	2	118	0
Cottonwood	1,230	98	1,328	20
Crow Wing	4,972	115	5,087	80
Dakota	33,197	1,924	35,121	377
Dodge	1,471	17	1,488	4
Douglas	3,674	190	3,864	68
Faribault	1,167	14	1,181	16
Fillmore	1,334	16	1,350	8
Freeborn	2,693	23	2,716	23
Goodhue	3,728	57	3,785	65
Grant	460	8	468	8
Hennepin	94,049	4,229	98,278	1,569
Houston	1,493	54	1,547	14
Hubbard	1,521	61	1,582	39
Isanti	2,786	209	2,995	49
Itasca	2,960	47	3,007	45
Jackson	825	83	908	10
Kanabec	1,021	29	1,050	19
Kandiyohi	5,654	59	5,713	74
Kittson	355	40	395	21
Koochiching	603	12	615	11
Lac qui Parle	619	55	674	16
Lake	605	92	697	17
Lake of the Woods	202	8	210	1
Le Sueur	2,238	36	2,274	20
Lincoln	488	11	499	2
Lyon	3,009	97	3,106	43
Mahnomen	424	5	429	7
Marshall	710	31	741	15
Martin	1,776	46	1,822	27
McLeod	3,291	52	3,343	49
Meeker	2,009	32	2,041	33
Mille Lacs	2,140	85	2,225	46
Morrison	3,046	141	3,187	46
Mower	3,852	85	3,937	30
Murray	822	112	934	8
Nicollet	2,386	67	2,453	40
Nobles	3,709	104	3,813	47
Norman	425	6	431	8
Olmsted	11,420	76	11,496	84
Otter Tail	4,515	216	4,731	70
Pennington	981	176	1,157	16
Pine	2,598	164	2,762	16
Pipestone	957	42	999	24
Polk	3,157	223	3,380	62
Pope	762	14	776	5
Ramsey	40,369	1,795	42,164	787
Red Lake	290	48	338	4
Redwood	1,413	33	1,446	27
Renville	1,394	54	1,448	40
Rice	6,456	132	6,588	87
Rock	1,027	120	1,147	12
Roseau	1,608	114	1,722	17
Scott	12,172	666	12,838	104
Sherburne	7,957	617	8,574	73
Sibley	1,099	40	1,139	9
St. Louis	13,667	841	14,508	261
Stearns	17,820	697	18,517	199
Steele	2,924	20	2,944	11
Stevens	712	10	722	8
Swift	846	23	869	18
Todd	2,355	30	2,385	30
Traverse	235	62	297	5
Wabasha	1,825	13	1,838	3
Wadena	1,217	44	1,261	19
Waseca	2,012	19	2,031	17
Washington	20,507	1,011	21,518	249
Watonwan	1,115	9	1,124	8
Wilkin	614	43	657	10
Winona	4,056	43	4,099	48
Wright	11,215	1,010	12,225	113
Yellow Medicine	896	70	966	17
Unknown/missing	397	28	425	0