Here are the latest updates from March 2, 2021:
Four more Minnesotans have died of COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health said Tuesday, for a total of 6,490.
Of the people whose deaths were announced Tuesday, two were in their 90s, one in their 80s and one was in their 70s. One of the 4 people whose deaths announced Tuesday was a resident of a long-term care facility.
MDH also said Tuesday there have been 485,655 total cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. That number is up 443 from the total announced on Monday and is based on 10,915 new tests. The most recent seven-day positivity rate, which lags by a week, is 3.5 percent. You can find the seven-day positive case average here.
The state reports 908,590 people in Minnesota, or 16.3 percent of the population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 472,789 Minnesotans have received two doses.
Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said the state recommends Minnesotans take any federally approved vaccine made available to them, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was approved over the weekend by the FDA for emergency use.
The most recent data available show 57 Minnesotans are hospitalized in intensive care with COVID-19, and 186 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.
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
- Colleges that require virus-screening tech struggle to say whether it works, New York Times
- Biden to announce Merck will help make Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, NBC
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
