MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — The number of people hospitalized in intensive care in Minnesota has reached the highest level yet during the coronavirus pandemic.
The state is reporting a 98% occupancy rate in adult ICU beds when COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients are included. Nearly 350 people are receiving intensive care.
M Health Fairview doctor, Andrew Olson, is urging people to get vaccinated and limit exposure in crowds.
Among the 307 COVID-19 patients at M Health Fairview hospitals, 72% are unvaccinated.
The delta variant is the dominant strain in Minnesota, which had the highest rate of new infections in the U.S. over the past seven days, according to data Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Positivity Rate Spikes In Latest Data Update
The Minnesota health department reported 12,445 additional cases and 45 more deaths Tuesday.
The data, which includes figures from over the weekend, brings the state’s total positive cases reported to 945,445, with 9,699 total deaths being attributed to COVID-19.
One of the newly reported deaths included a teenager from Hennepin County. The deaths occurred in October (3), November (18) and December (24).
Meanwhile, the state’s latest positivity rate has spiked, at 11.5% as of last week. That’s well above what state officials deem the “high risk” threshold, which the state breached in earlier November.
Following an increase in vaccinations over the last several months, over 70% of those ages 5 and up have received at least one vaccine dose. Nearly 93% of seniors have been fully vaccinated.
Over 8 million vaccine doses have been administered, with over 1.2 million of those being booster shots.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Source: CBS Minnesota
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