MDH releases new COVID-19 trend data
Becca MostEditor’s note: This report is provided free for everyone as a public service. Please consider supporting work like this with a digital subscription to the St. Cloud Times.
The Minnesota Department of Health recently changed the way it tracks and analyzes COVID-19 data.
From now on MDH will be updating state COVID information weekly on Thursdays, with data as of the prior Tuesday. Previously MDH posted state COVID data five days a week and classified cases and deaths by age and county.
More:Central Minnesota kids under 5 can now get a COVID vaccine at CentraCare
A total of 12,806 Minnesotans have died of COVID-19 as of June 29, including:
- 373 people from Stearns County
- 183 people from Sherburne County
- 177 people from Benton County
Benton and Stearns Counties are classified as having a "medium" community health risk for COVID-19 and Sherburne County is at a "low" community health risk. The Centers for Disease Control measures this risk based on the number of new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people and the percentage of staff inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.
On its new COVID dashboard, Minnesotans can look at trends related to state hospitalization rates and hospital capacity, COVID exposure in child care, school, long-term care, correctional facilities and high risk congregate living settings, COVID case rates by age, sex, race and ethnicity, vaccine rates by county and age, vaccine breakthrough data, COVID mortality rates over time, by age, county, sex, race and ethnicity, rates of COVID-19 in wastewater and rates of emergency room visits for people with COVID or influenza-like symptoms.
Vaccines continue to lag in St. Cloud area
As of Wednesday, 23.6% of residents 5 and older in Stearns County are up-to-date on their vaccine series, meaning they have received all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine they are eligible to receive. 61.3% of residents 5 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
In Benton County 21.6% of residents 5 and older are up-to-date on their vaccine series. 57.8% of residents have gotten at least one vaccine dose.
In Sherburne County 21.3% of residents 5 and older are up-to-date on their vaccine series. 58.9% have gotten at least one vaccine dose.
Since the pandemic began, there have been more than 548 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 6.3 million deaths across the world, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The U.S. has reported more than 87.8 million cases and more than 1 million deaths.
More than 11.7 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered globally.
Find a vaccine clinic near you by visiting https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/index.jsp.
Becca Most is a cities reporter with the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-241-8213 or bmost@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at @becca_most.
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