Minnesota has seen an increase in the number of younger people testing positive for COVID-19 as the pandemic continues to grow in the United States.
According to data released Sunday by the Minnesota Department of Health, 523 new cases were identified on Sunday, bringing the total number of coronavirus positive residents in the state to 35,549.
You can see an increase in the number of people who test positive for the virus among people in their 20s, and that age group makes up the largest group of positive cases in the state.
As of June 28, there have been a record 51 percent of new positive cases reported for people in their 20s.
According to Minnesota StarTribuneFour bars in the Minneapolis and Mankato areas “have contributed to an increase in COVID-19 cases in young adults.”
StarTribune reported:
Approximately 100 people suffered from overcrowded COVID-19 infections over the weekend of June 12-14 at Rounders Sports Bar & Grill and 507 in Mankato, while more than 30 cases have been identified among people who went to Cowboy Jack’s near Target Field and the Kollege Klub in Dinkytown between June 14-21.
State authorities have warned that the number of positive cases for people in their 20s may continue to grow unless precautions are taken not to “overwhelm” the system.
“When you have 56 cases associated with a weekend location, that’s not controlling the growth rate,” said Kris Ehresmann, state director for infectious diseases. Ehresmann added that businesses and citizens should work to prevent the spread “so that even when we open, we are not positioning ourselves to overwhelm the system we work so hard to strengthen.”
According to the StarTribune, “The number of laboratory-confirmed cases in Minnesota increased 37%, from 25,208 on June 1 to 34,616 as of Friday, but increased 51% among people ages 20-29 and 61% among children and teenagers”.
While there is an increase in the number of positive cases in the state, it’s worth noting that of the 1,460 people who have died in the state from COVID-19 diseases, only two of those people were under the age of 30.
As of Sunday, Minnesota health officials had administered nearly 15,000 tests. Nine percent of those who have been screened have been hospitalized, while 228 remain in hospitals across the state. The state health department also reported eight new COVID-related deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,460.
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