MinnPost provides updates on coronavirus in Minnesota Sunday through Friday. The information is published following a press phone call with members of the Walz administration or after the release of daily COVID-19 figures by the Minnesota Department of Health.
Here are the latest updates from February 22, 2021:
- 479,591 cases; 6,433 deaths
- Hy-Vee added to Minnesota COVID-19 vaccine pharmacy network
- Vaccine shipping slowed by extreme weather in U.S.
- Fans in the stands for the Twins?
479,591 cases; 6,433 deaths
One more Minnesotan has died of COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health said Monday, for a total of 6,433. Deaths and case numbers are typically lower on Mondays owing to a lag in reporting over the weekend, but death numbers haven’t been this low on any day of the week since August.
The person whose death was announced Monday was in their eighties and was a long-term care facility resident.
MDH also said Monday there have been 479,591 total cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. That number is up 555 from the total announced on Sunday and is based on 17,666 new tests. The most recent seven-day positivity average is 3.6 percent, the lowest it’s been since June. You can find the seven-day positive case average here.
As of Saturday, the most recent day of data available, 759,747 people, or 13.7 percent of Minnesota’s population, have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, while 356,911 people have received both doses.
The most recent data available show 48 Minnesotans are hospitalized in intensive care with COVID-19 — fewer than at any time since early April — and 187 are in the hospital with COVID-19 not in intensive care. You can find more information about Minnesota’s current ICU usage and capacity here.
More information on cases can be found here.
Hy-Vee added to Minnesota COVID-19 vaccine pharmacy network
Minnesota announced Monday that Hy-Vee has joined the federal Retail Pharmacy Program and will be administering COVID-19 vaccines to Minnesotans starting this week. The company will administer 10,000 vaccines this week at more than 30 locations. Hy-Vee appointments can be found here.
Appointments are also available when supplies are available at WalMart and Thrifty White pharmacies. Locations can be found through Minnesota’s Find My Vaccine site.
Vaccine shipping slowed by extreme weather in U.S.
Extreme weather conditions in parts of the U.S. delayed shipments of some vaccine to Minnesota.
Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said Monday that if Minnesotans receive a call to reschedule an appointment, it’s due to weather-related shipping delays. Vaccine administrators expect to catch up on the delayed vaccines as they administer incoming ones.
Fans in the stands for the Twins?
The Minnesota Twins have proposed having Target Field at 25 percent capacity in the upcoming season, or about 10,000 people sitting in groups of between two and four, spaced apart, according to Fox 9.
Asked about the health department’s response to the proposal, Commissioner Jan Malcolm wouldn’t comment directly but said she’s “truly optimistic” that if Minnesotans work to keep the virus under control there might be fans in the stands at sports venues in 2021.
“So many of us are looking forward to enjoying a game at Target Field,” she said.
Today on MinnPost
- Asking yourself how long it’s been since this all started? Us too.
- As always, a look at the numbers on the MinnPost COVID-19 dashboard.
Around the web
- Pfizer-BioNTech Shot Stops Covid Spread, Israeli Study Shows, Bloomberg
- When Could the United States Reach Herd Immunity? It’s Complicated, the Upshot from the New York Times
- Best case scenario? 50% of Michiganders vaccinated by June, experts project, Michigan Radio
- Why MN vaccine locator asks about race, gender, sexual orientation, PiPress
MDH’s coronavirus website: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html
MDH’s phone line for COVID-19 questions, Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m: 651-297-1304
