3 things to know
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3,838 newly confirmed or probable cases (3-day count); 8 newly reported deaths
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10,859 known, active cases; 547 currently hospitalized
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71.2 percent of 16-and-older residents with at least one vaccine dose
Updated 2:47 p.m.
An August that opened with hope the end was near for the COVID-19 pandemic is closing with no precise sense of when this latest wave will crest.
Tuesday’s Health Department data showed Minnesota averaging nearly 1,400 new cases per day over the last seven reporting days — more than twice the number at the start of August and dramatically higher than the 91 daily at the start of July, when it seemed the end was in site.
Cases, however, accelerated in the weeks since, driven by the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19, leading to more sickness and hospitalizations. Known, active cases in that stretch went from 780 to 10,859 in Tuesday’s data.
State health officials continued to implore people to stay vigilant against COVID-19, including wearing layers of masks in circumstances where masks are recommended.
“We aren't going to wish away this virus, and delta is particularly good at finding you if you let down your guard,” state infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann told reporters Tuesday.
The rate of tests coming back positive continued to trend just above the 5 percent threshold that public health officials find concerning.
Hospital and intensive care needs have risen, although they still haven’t reached peak counts seen in the fall and spring — 547 people are in hospital beds currently with COVID-19, including 153 needing intensive care. During the mid-April wave, 202 patients at one point needed ICU beds.
Minnesota remains better positioned now than during the fall and spring spikes.
The biggest difference: More than 71 percent of state residents 16 and older have received at least one vaccination shot. Add in the more than 148,000 12-to-15-year-olds with at least one shot so far and the state has nearly 3.3 million residents partially or completely vaccinated.
More than half of every eligible age group in Minnesota has at least one dose of vaccine.
Still, it remains slow going getting more Minnesotans vaccinated, and wide gaps remain in the vaccination rate among state regions.
Ehresmann on Tuesday said booster shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available starting Sept. 20 but that people must wait eight months from their second shot before getting the booster.
Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm expressed her concern about the expected big crowds at the Minnesota State Fair, which starts Thursday.
Asked if she was nervous about the event given the delta variant, Malcolm said, “The honest answer to that is yes.” She stressed that getting vaccinated is the best thing people can do to protect themselves against the virus.
“Of course we’re concerned” about the fair, “but we believe that people have the information to make good choices.”
Listen to the Tuesday briefing from Minnesota public health leaders:
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