MDH: COVID Hospitalizations Getting Younger

(KNSI) – Minnesota health officials say cases of COVID-19 are leveling off, but hospitals are starting to fill up again.

The 22 deaths reported on Wednesday were the single highest death toll since February. Since the start of the pandemic, 7,113 people have died in Minnesota from the virus.

On Wednesday, there were 641 people in a hospital being treated for COVID-19. That 27% of the hospital beds in the state and 184 of those people are in intensive care.

Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says the hospitalizations are happening to younger people.

“The thing to note is the percentage of cases that have become hospitalized has gone up a bit from the prior waves to this one in all age groups over the age of 20.”

Officials say it’s unclear how much effect COVID variants are having on the statewide numbers.

Director of Infectious Diseases for the Minnesota Department of Health Kris Ehresmann thinks the public is under the impression that if they’re under the age of 65, getting COVID isn’t a big deal.

Ehresmann says that assumption is wrong.

“We are seeing serious illness in those younger age groups. The median age of hospitalization has dropped by a decade, from what we were seeing, from November to March, and then from March to April, it dropped by another year.”

Earlier this week, a first-grader from Marshall died from COVID-19, and earlier this month, a 30-year-old Stearns County man died from COVID-19.

She says Minnesotans are seeing the benefits of vaccinations even in the younger age groups.

Health officials have also reauthorized the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after it was put on pause last week so officials could crunch the numbers.

“The data showed the benefits of this vaccine outweighed the very small risk. Adverse events are rare, occurring at a rate of about seven per million vaccinated women between 18 and 49 years. For women 50 years older and men of all ages, adverse events is even more rare.”

The vaccine’s use was put on pause after a few women reported blood clots.

Ehresmann says Minnesota has entered a new phase when it comes to vaccinating residents.

“We’ve of moved from place where people are willing to drive, you know, three hours across the state to find a vaccine. We’re at a place now where people aren’t coming to us to get the vaccine, we have to bring it to them. But I do think it’s important that when we look at this shift that we’re seeing right now, I don’t think that we’re ready to atribute it to vaccine hesitancy.”

Officials are trying to make the vaccine more accessible, especially in underserved areas, using mobile vaccine units to bring the shots to the people.

Health officials continue to say the quickest way to return to any sense of normalcy is to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible to induce herd immunity in a controlled manner.

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