Updated: 11:40 am
The COVID-19 outbreak in Minnesota has stalled in the past week, an end to the steady decline in confirmed cases and deaths Minnesota saw throughout the month of June.
It occurs when many Sun Belt states have seen an increase in case counts and hospitalizations. It is unknown whether the same will happen in Minnesota, or whether the outbreak in Minnesota will continue to be stable or begin to improve again.
In fact, the number of Minnesota residents diagnosed with COVID-19 has been trending upward in the past week, although at least part of that increase appears to be test-driven to more people. The newly discovered cases reflect a mix of the spread of the disease, and Minnesota finds more of the cases that were already available but undiagnosed.
New cases of COVID-19 per day in Minnesota
David H. Montgomery | MPR News
The percentage of tests that showed positive results fell on Sunday, and has been practically flat for the past week. Hospitalization numbers also fell over the weekend, after a pause in the past week.
A driver of new cases over the past week has been young adults. People in their 20s now make up the largest age group for confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. That news comes after clusters of cases were linked to bars in Mankato and Minneapolis, suggesting that some younger adults are not doing enough to prevent the spread of the virus as they return to public spaces.
Minnesota’s first sacrifices to limit the spread of COVID-19 “will be hurt if we don’t get the cooperation of all Minnesotans, especially Minnesotans, who are more active and social,” said Kris Ehresmann, director on Friday. of infectious diseases of the state.
“We desperately need Minnesota youth to take it seriously.”
The state reported eight new COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, with a total of 1,425 deaths. There were 523 new confirmed cases, totaling 35,549.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota has dropped dramatically, from 335 on Friday to 300 on Saturday to 288 in the Sunday report. That is the lowest number in two months. The number of patients treated in the ICU also continued to decline, at its lowest rate in nearly two months.
Current COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota.
David H. Montgomery | MPR News
The Minnesota Department of Health’s Sunday report included results from more than 16,000 tests. The percentage of positive tests fell from 3.7 to 3.2 percent.
Here are the latest coronaviruses. Statistics:
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35,549 confirmed cases (523 new) through 585,417 tests
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1,425 deaths (8 new)
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4,010 cases requiring hospitalization
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288 people remain hospitalized; 143 in intensive care
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30,809 patients no longer need isolation
Groups of bars
More than 100 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among Minnesota residents in their 20s in the Mankato area who said they went to bars on June 12-13, the first weekend bars and restaurants were able to serve in inside.
Two Mankato bars, Rounders and The 507, were the focal points of that young adult outbreak, Ehresmann said Friday. Officials were also following a group of 30 cases at two Minneapolis bars: Cowboy Jack’s and Kollege Klub.
Those bars’ social media shows they were crowded, with no room for social estrangement, and people who were standing and not masked, so they were not following state guidance, Ehresmann said.
“It’s not that you can’t socialize. It’s not like you can’t have fun, ”she said. “But you must do it safely for yourself and the people around you.”
Data from the Health Department on Friday showed that Minnesota residents in their 20s are the oldest age group for confirmed cases in Minnesota: 7,045 infected people, with two deaths.
While those youth are likely to be less likely to experience complications from COVID-19, officials say the concern is that they are unknowingly spreading the disease to grandparents or other potentially vulnerable populations.
The median age of confirmed cases in Minnesota has dropped and is now under 40 years old.
Ehresmann said Friday that some of the people who tested positive for Mankato work in child care, noting that they have a high probability of passing the disease on to children and families without realizing it.
Meat packing hot spots remain
Many of the outbreaks outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area focus on meat packing plants. Officials have stepped up testing at those hot spots, uncovering more infections.
That includes Mower County in southeast Minnesota, where there were 868 confirmed cases as of Friday.
Mower County is the home of Hormel Foods and Quality Pork Processors. Both have partnered with Mayo Clinic to increase employee testing.
While some of the positive cases in Mower County are associated with people who work on the premises and with the people they live with, county officials say they are also seeing transmission among people who live in the county but who work. in other counties where coronavirus is present.
Nobles, in southwestern Minnesota, reported 1,643 confirmed cases on Friday. About 1 in 14 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 in the county since the pandemic began, although the new case count has dropped dramatically in recent weeks.
Worthington’s massive JBS pork processing plant was the epicenter of the Nobles outbreak. The JBS plant closed on April 20, but has since been reopened with expanded hygiene measures and health monitoring.
Similar problems have been reported in Stearns County, where cases of COVID-19 linked to two packaging plants, the Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plant in Cold Spring and Jennie-O Turkey in Melrose, soared in May.
An undisclosed number of workers at both plants have tested positive for the virus. There were around 55 confirmed cases in Stearns County in early May. As of Friday, confirmed cases were at 2,156 with 19 deaths.
Kandiyohi County in west central Minnesota is also dealing with a significant workload more than two months after officials at the Jennie-O turkey processing plant there said some employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. .
As of Friday, the Health Department reported that 564 people have tested positive in the county, the same as Thursday. The county had confirmed three cases of COVID-19 in late April.
Cases have also increased dramatically in Cottonwood County (130 cases), home to a pork processing plant in Windom, and in Lyon County (289 cases), around a turkey processor in Marshall.
New COVID-19 Cases by Minnesota Region.
David H. Montgomery | MPR News
Statewide Developments
MN Medical Association, Healthcare Groups Urge Policy Makers to Mandatory Masking
The Minnesota Medical Association and 20 other health care groups across the state are urging public and private sector officials to require masks to stop transmission of the coronavirus.
In a statement, the group says mounting evidence shows that wearing masks is helpful in preventing the spread of the virus.
The statement comes as states like Texas and Florida have seen a massive spike in cases weeks after loosening social distancing rules, and when Minnesota has identified clusters of cases between bar-hoppers in the Mankato and Dinkytown area of Minneapolis. near the University of Minnesota campus.
The cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis require masks in stores and other interior spaces, while other Minnesota cities, including Duluth and Rochester, do not.
– Catharine Richert | MPR News
Top holders
Minnesota’s second inmate dies after testing positive for COVID-19: A second Minnesota inmate died after testing positive for COVID-19, state correctional officials said Saturday.
Driver test lines persist, but MN officials say COVID-19’s order book is going down: If you have to take a Minnesota driving knowledge test, bring a lawn chair and a good book. Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services continues to work through a large backlog of license renewals and tests in the system.
Four ways COVID-19 has affected different parts of Minnesota: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all but one of Minnesota’s 87 counties, but it has not affected all parts of the state equally. Here is a breakdown of cumulative cases per capita in each of Minnesota’s major regions.
The MSP airport intensifies security measures and encourages passengers to wear masks: The “Travel with Confidence” plan includes a variety of new sanitation measures and messages to encourage social distancing and wearing of masks at the Twin Cities airport.
COVID-19 in Minnesota
The data in these charts is based on the running totals of the Minnesota Department of Health published at 11 am daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at Department of Health website.
Coronavirus is transmitted through respiratory droplets, coughs, and sneezes, similar to how the flu can spread.
Government and medical leaders urge people to wash their hands frequently and well, refrain from touching their faces, covering their coughs, disinfecting surfaces, and avoiding large crowds, all in an effort to curb the rapid spread of the virus.
