ST. PAUL — Positive test rates, rates of new infections and hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Minnesota continued to sink over the past week after peaking during last month’s spike of infections driven by the virus’ omicron variant.
Minnesota Department of Health reports from Feb. 4 to 11 show a steady downward trend in key metrics of the public health risk posed by COVID-19. Friday's report showed the state's seven-day rolling average positive test rate was 13%, down from 19.2% one week before. That rate is still above the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "high-risk" threshold of 10%, but significantly down from its pandemic-record January high of 23.7%.
Meanwhile, the seven-day rolling average case rate per 100,000 also continued to plummet after reaching an all-pandemic high of 245.1 last month. As of Feb. 3, the most recently available date for the case rate metric, Minnesota had 66.5 cases per 100,000. Again, this number lies well above the CDC "high-risk" category threshold of 10 per 100,000.
Hospitalizations also showed an encouraging continued downward trend after peaking above 1,600 in January. Friday's state health department report showed 1,052 in the hospital for COVID-19 statewide — down from 1,260 the Friday before. Minnesota intensive care unit bed use remained high, though as of Friday's report sat at around 93%, down from rates around 97-98% typical of the last two months. At 153, the overall number of COVID-19 ICU patients is also significantly down from mid-January, when there were more than 300.
Following are the past week's MDH COVID-19 case rates, deaths, hospitalizations and vaccinations as of Friday, Feb. 11. Because all data are preliminary, some numbers and totals may change from one day to the next.
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This week's numbers
- NEW CASES: 29,343
- SEVEN-DAY, ROLLING AVERAGE OF NEW CASES PER 100,000 PEOPLE: 66.5 (as of 2/3)
- TOTAL CASES, INCLUDING REINFECTIONS: 1,388,401
- TOTAL REINFECTIONS: 55,592
- SEVEN-DAY, ROLLING AVERAGE TEST POSITIVITY RATE: 13% (as of 2/3)
Hospitalizations, deaths
- ACTIVE HOSPITALIZATIONS: 1,052
- TOTAL HOSPITALIZATIONS: 59,040
- DEATHS OVER PAST WEEK: 198
- TOTAL DEATHS: 11,797
Vaccinations
- FIRST DOSE ADMINISTERED: 3,860,958 or 74.1% of ages 5 and up
- COMPLETED SERIES (2 doses): 3,621,375 or 69.5% of ages 5 and up
- BOOSTER DOSES ADMINISTERED: 2,091,342
