Coronavirus infections have risen above Minnesota’s high-risk threshold again, but health officials are hoping COVID-19 immunity levels will limit the number of cases that result in hospitalizations or death.
Minnesota has identified more than 1,000 infections in one day for the first time in two months, despite the rising popularity of rapid at-home antigen-COVID-19 tests, which are not on state records. The 1,003 infections among samples collected on April 13 pushed Minnesota’s COVID-19 case rate to 12 per 100,000 population, above the 10 threshold, indicating significant virus spread.
People are anxious to get away from the pandemic but should still take precautions e.g. B. staying up to date with vaccinations and wearing masks on public transport – whether mandatory or not, said Dr. Dimitri Drekonja, an infectious disease specialist at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
“[The] The message needs to change from “we’re moving on” to “we’re better off but still vulnerable and can get better,” he said in a social media post.
Hospital admissions were already increasing in response to the turn in the infection numbers from 183 on April 10 to 215 on Wednesday. However, only 24 of COVID-19 hospitalizations required critical care, and that daily number has been declining since mid-December.
Minnesota reported three more COVID-19 deaths Thursday, but the death toll has not increased in response to the recent spike in infections. Vaccinations and unprecedented infections during January’s Omicron-COVID-19 wave have given many Minnesotans at least temporary immunity, reducing the risk of serious illness.
Reinfections have also increased over the past two weeks, suggesting immunity may be slipping. 119 reinfections were identified from samples collected on April 13 – more than 1 in 10 of the COVID-19 cases identified on that date. Overall, the more than 1.4 million known infections in Minnesota include 64,260 reinfections. The state’s COVID-19 death toll is 12,482.
A BA.2 coronavirus subvariant remains responsible for the small but steady spike in COVID-19 activity in Minnesota over the past month. BA.2 was found in 84% of positive COVID-19 samples analyzed by genome sequencing in the week ended April 9, according to Minnesota Department of Health data released Wednesday. That’s an increase from 61% a week earlier.
Sewage sampling in the Twin Cities also found an increasing amount of viral material, and that more of it consists of BA.2. Updated results from the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant are due Friday.
COVID-19 immunization activity has increased in Minnesota, where 71,962 doses were administered in the week ending April 10 — up from 17,511 in the week ending March 20.
However, the state remains at 49% of its rate of Minnesotans 5 and older who are up to date with the COVID-19 vaccination – meaning they have recently completed the first series or received scheduled boosters to maintain immunity .
The surge in vaccine delivery is largely due to people receiving second booster shots approved by federal authorities late last month. Second booster shots are allowed for people 50 years of age or older, who have a compromised immune system, or who only received the less effective Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
All counties in Minnesota are rated as low risk for COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning none recommend wearing wide, indoor public masks to reduce virus transmission. The CDC risk assessment is based on a combination of local infection and hospitalization levels.
According to COVIDcast survey data, just 27% of Minnesotans wear masks most or all of the time in public, down from 63% at the peak of the Omicron pandemic wave in mid-January.