COVID-19 hospitalizations drop below 100 in Minnesota

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota dropped below 100 for the first time in more than a year, reflecting progress in vaccinating people against the infectious disease and slowing the spread of the coronavirus that causes it.

The state on Monday reported 98 hospitalizations, along with five more COVID-19 deaths and 82 infections. The latest counts raise Minnesota's totals in the pandemic to 7,587 COVID-19 deaths and 605,218 diagnosed infections.

State health officials credited vaccination progress for reducing infections and shortening a spring COVID-19 wave, which at its peak left 699 people in Minnesota inpatient hospital beds in mid-April. The state on Monday reported that more than 3 million people 12 and older have received at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 2.9 million have completed the one- or two-dose series.

"We're in a great position around COVID," Gov. Tim Walz said on Monday, noting that Minnesota has the 14th lowest per capita death rate in the pandemic.

Minnesota appears on track to exceed President Joe Biden's goal of providing vaccine to 70% of adults 18 and older by July 4. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Monday that Minnesota had reached a 69.7% first-dose vaccination rate in that population with one week left before the federal holiday.

However, Minnesota appears on track to fall short of its own goal of providing at least first doses to 70% of people 16 and older by July 1 — a goal set in May just before people age 12 to 15 became eligible to receive vaccine. The state has reached a rate of 66.8% in the 16 and older age group, according to its COVID-19 vaccine website, with vaccinations dropping off among teenagers. Only 49% of teens age 16 and 17 have received any COVID-19 vaccine.

Differences in the timing and reporting of vaccinations has resulted in a gap of about 150,000 vaccine recipients between the state and CDC tracking websites. Minnesota's tally also doesn't include vaccinations provided by federal agencies in the state, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the Indian Health Service.

Health officials noted that the July goals are only incremental and that they intend to push Minnesota's vaccination rate even higher to try to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the development of more infectious variants.

More than 80% of new infections in Minnesota over the past month have involved so-called variants of concerns, mostly the alpha variant first identified in England that fueled much of the state's spring wave. That more infectious variant also was linked to an outbreak identified in March involving youth sports in and around suburban Carver County.

Concern has increased about the delta variant identified in India and its potential to spread even in highly vaccinated populations. Genomic sequencing of a sampling of positive infections in Minnesota has found 73 cases of the delta variant, an increase from 47 last week, according to the latest figures provided Monday by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Thirteen of the 73 delta variant cases have involved hospitalizations, an 18% rate that is higher than the overall COVID-19 hospitalization rate. The beta and gamma variants identified in South Africa and Brazil, respectively, also have produced elevated hospitalization rates.

About 91% of senior citizens in Minnesota have received at least a first vaccine dose — a key high-risk group that has suffered 88% of the state's COVID-19 deaths. The five deaths reported Monday included a Hennepin County resident in the 35 to 39 age range — the state's 70th COVID-19 death involving someone younger than 40.

Jeremy Olson • 612-673-7744