On Tuesdays, MinnPost provides weekly updates covering COVID-19 developments in Minnesota from the previous Wednesday to present.
This week in COVID-19 news
In the last week, the United States’ COVID-19 death toll surpassed 700,000. The grim milestone makes the COVID-19 pandemic one of the worst in the nation’s history. It also means that one in 500 Americans have died of COVID-19.
Because of the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, some 140,000 lives were spared, according to an August report from the National Institutes of Health. A recent study also found that pregnant women who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine passed on protection to their unborn babies.
On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson asked the Food and Drug Administration to clear its vaccine booster. Last month, the FDA approved a Pfizer booster for older adults and those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Cases
Data from the Minnesota Department of Health show the state added 19,293 new COVID-19 cases in the seven days between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5, for an average of 2,756 new cases per day. That’s up from a 2,252 daily average the week prior. At the height of the pandemic in late November of 2020, Minnesota averaged more than 7,000 new cases per day.
The most recent seven-day case positivity average — or the average share of positive cases out of total COVID-19 tests — is 7.2 percent, up from 6.6 percent the week prior. You can find the seven-day case positivity average here.
As of Sept. 5, Minnesota has reported 32,796 COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated Minnesotans. That represents slightly more than 1 percent of the 3.17 million people who had been fully vaccinated by September. Of the 32,796 people with known breakthrough cases, 1,495 were hospitalized and 185 died.
Deaths and hospitalizations
Minnesota reported 94 COVID-19 deaths in the last week, down from 98 the week prior. (Deaths did not necessarily occur in the week in which they were reported because deaths are not always reported and confirmed immediately.)
As of Tuesday, 220 people are in intensive care with COVID-19, while 627 are hospitalized and not in intensive care. Last Tuesday, 196 were in intensive care and 591 were hospitalized and not in intensive care. More information on Minnesota’s current hospitalizations here.
Vaccines
The most recent data show 61.3 percent of all Minnesotans (3.41 million people) have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 58.2 percent of Minnesotans (3.24 million people) had completed the vaccine series. A week ago, 61.2 percent of Minnesotans had received at least one dose and 58.1 had completed the vaccine series. More data on the state’s vaccination efforts can be found here.
This week on MinnPost
- MinnPost’s COVID-19 dashboard
- What’s going on with COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in Minnesota
- Is Minnesota’s COVID-19 testing capacity where it needs to be right now?
