513 new Minnesota COVID-19 cases, 1 additional death

Minnesota health officials announced Tuesday that 513 people in the state have tested positive for COVID-19, along with one new death.

Since the pandemic was first detected in the state last March, 480,091 have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus and 6,434 have died from COVID-19 complications.

The new death was a Rock County resident between the ages of 75 and 79 who lived in a private residence.

Minnesota providers are expected to receive shipments this week of COVID-19 vaccines that had been delayed last week due to the weather.

So far, 762,089 Minnesotans have received at least one vaccine dose, which accounts for 13.7% of the state's population, according to a Minnesota Department of Health estimate.

Among those age 65 and older, 41.8% have received at least one dose, the agency said.

Two doses have been given to 362,156 state residents, for a total of 1,125,916 shots administered.

Health officials continue to monitor for signs of outbreaks, including in schools.

"We are seeing a slight increase in cases but nothing that is unexpected having brought kids back," said state infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann.

Since the beginning of the year, the number of cases among students and school workers has increased, with about 400 new cases reported in the week ending Feb. 18. That's on par with new case counts before schools were dismissed for the winter break.

At the height of the November surge in COVID-19 cases, there were about 1,700 cases among school students and workers in two consecutive weeks.

Ehresmann said the case counts include those who were infected in community settings, not just within the walls of a school building.

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 complications continue to fall. The state's hospitals were caring for 269 coronavirus patients, including 54 in intensive care. That's down from 315 patients a week earlier.

Typically, those who need hospital-level care have pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart, lung or kidney disease, that make them more susceptible to serious COVID-19 complications.

Most people who become infected by the coronavirus experience mild or no symptoms, although they can infect others. Since the pandemic began, an estimated 467,147 of those who tested positive for the virus are considered to have recovered to the point where they no longer need to isolate.

Glenn Howatt • 612-673-7192