CDC from Pexels
(KNSI) – A Wright County resident in their 50s is among 17 newly reported COVID-19 deaths across Minnesota, as reported Thursday. The state also identifies 1,410 new cases.
Benton County adds nine new cases, Morrison County six, Sherburne County 21, Stearns County 29 and Wright County 30.
Minnesota processed 50,330 COVID-19 tests Wednesday; the 1,410 new positive cases found represent 2.8 percent of that test volume, keeping below the 5-percent threshold state health leaders use as a caution level for viral spread.
Area hospitalizations seem to be improving, though there are some data gaps. In this week’s data analysis by the University of Minnesota Hospitalization Tracking Project, COVID-19 patients occupied only four percent of Stearns County hospitals’ total bed space in the final week of January. A greater proportion of patients were in the ICU; 25 percent of ICU beds were in use for COVID patients.
The report does not include specific COVID-19 patient hospitalization numbers for other surrounding counties in this time period, but general hospital capacity is remaining low. Stearns County hospitals were at 58 percent total patient capacity, and Morrison and Sherburne hospitals were at 23 and 54 percent total capacity, respectively. From January 22nd to the 28th, 82 percent of Wright County’s hospital beds were in use. Benton County’s data is not present in this report.
Minnesota comes closer to vaccinating half a million people, per data from Tuesday. The Minnesota Department of Health reports that 475,200 people have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Twenty-seven percent of those recipients have gotten both doses needed for peak effectiveness.
In Stearns County, 18,115 people have started receiving COVID-19 vaccines, representing 11.6 percent of the county population. Just over 40 percent of county residents 65 and older have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.
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