Minnesota COVID-19 weekly update: Outbreak remains at plateau as omicron dominates
Minnesota’s current coronavirus outbreak remains at a plateau.
New cases, hospitalizations and deaths all have remained relatively steady for more than a month. The amount of coronavirus genetic material found in wastewater throughout the state also remains fairly constant.
Minnesota is averaging about 1,300 new cases of COVID-19 per day, and the roughly 400 patients currently hospitalized include 46 in critical condition. State health officials are reporting roughly four COVID-19 deaths per day of late.
The number of new cases in the state has been elevated since spring. Health officials expect cases to rise again in the fall when more activities move indoors.
The highly-contagious BA.5 subvariant of the omicron strain of the coronavirus now is responsible for the majority of Minnesota infections. In January, the initial omicron variant drove cases to a record level in Minnesota and across the country.
The subvariant also can evade the protection provided both by vaccines and prior infection.
Vaccines still offer protection, specifically from severe illness and death, but booster doses are recommended for everyone 5 or older. While 71 percent of the state’s 5.7 million residents have gotten at least one dose, only about 31 percent are up-to-date on their recommended shots.
Since Minnesota’s outbreak began in March 2020, nearly 1.6 million have tested positive, almost 68,000 have been hospitalized and 12,907 have died from COVID-19.
