Minnesota reported 46 more deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday.
There were also 3,655 new infections and 1,677 patients with the virus being treated in Minnesota hospitals, according to figures released Monday by the state health department.
The current wave of infections is now in its fifth month and prompts state health officials to urge Minnesotans to get tested, vaccinated and take health precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
The 46 additional deaths pushed the total pandemic to 9,918. The figure includes one from October, six from November, and 39 from December.
New deaths on Monday include:
- Anoka County, three deaths between the ages of 40 and 90.
- Dakota County, four deaths, late 50s to late 70s.
- Hennepin County, five deaths, from the early 60s to the early 80s.
- Ramsey County, seven deaths, early 40s to late 90s.
- Washington County, two deaths, from the late 50s to the early 80s.
New infections, which were reported on Monday, pushed the total during the pandemic to 960,425, including 11,379 re-infections.
New cases reported on Monday include:
- Anoka County, 233 new cases of infection.
- Dakota County, 271 infections.
- Hennepin County, 599 infections.
- Ramsey County, 322 infections.
- Washington County, 204 infections.
Figures released on Monday include data as of 4 Friday morning.
There are one fewer coronavirus patients registered in Minnesota hospitals on Monday than it was on Friday. Since the start of the pandemic, 48,169 patients have received treatment for the virus in public hospitals.
COVID-19 continues to fill state hospitals, with 84% of Minnesota hospitals reporting no adult beds in intensive care units. There are only two of them in the metro “Twin Cities”.
Health officials say vaccines remain the best way to avoid serious infection and slow the spread of the coronavirus, which is fueled by Minnesota’s unvaccinated population. But protective vaccines decline significantly after six months, and boosters are strongly recommended for all adults and adolescents aged 16 and 17.
About 20 percent of infections diagnosed in 2021 were so-called breakthrough cases. More than 4,700 of them were hospitalized, 839 died. The elderly and others with weakened immune systems have been affected by these infections.
In other coronavirus news, a person linked to Minnesota State University has Mankato’s second confirmed case of coronavirus in the state, linked to the omicron variant, according to a letter that University President Edward Inch sent to faculty, staff and students. Inch said the Minnesota Department of Health had notified school officials that the omicron variant had been confirmed in a vaccinated person at the university, and that person had recently tested positive.
“The person is doing well and is following the appropriate isolation protocols,” Inch wrote.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
