We’ve been looking for some good news to come out of Minnesota for a little while now, and it seems like we may have received it in the form of the latest COVID-19 data.
The most recent data was of extra interest as it marks two weeks from the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Symptoms of COVID-19 can take up to 14 days to manifest, and many people felt that the social distancing precautions kind of fell by the wayside during the long weekend that featured some nice weather. People feared that we’d see a big spike in new cases around this time, and for good reason, but the data doesn’t seem to back that theory up.
According to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health, the average rate of newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota has continued to decline, as has the number of people getting intensive care for it, the latest data showed, which included Sunday figures.
Overall, 388 more cases were confirmed on Sunday, the second-lowest daily total since April 28. Rolling averages to account for daily fluctuations suggest that new cases have been declining on both a 7-day and 14-day basis since hitting a high on May 24. And while delays in the reporting system may mean we don’t have a perfect understanding of the new case rate, state Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said on Friday that it’s possible the growth rate of new cases has “plateaued.”
Malcolm also addressed the current state of medical care ability in Minnesota. On Sunday, there were 199 people in hospital intensive-care units for COVID-19 treatment, the lowest number since May 13. Another 251 people were in regular hospital beds, the lowest since May 10.
“Statewide, we’re in good shape for critical care capacity,” Malcolm added.
As of Sunday, 27,886 Minnesotans had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and roughly 23,000 had recovered and no longer needed to be in isolation. So far, 1,186 Minnesotans have died with a confirmed case of the coronavirus, and more than 90 percent of those individuals were over the age of 60.
We’re certainly not out of the woods when it comes to preventing and treating the COVID-19 virus, but it does appear that we’re trending in the right direction. It will also be interesting to see how the data responds in the next few days and weeks as the protests over George Floyd’s death could lead to a spike in new cases, but we didn’t see that with Memorial Day weekend, so hopefully the new cases will keep trending in the right direction.
If you are showing symptoms and believe you need medical care, contact a local hospital prior to arriving at the clinic so they can be best prepared to limit your contact with others and get you the care you deserve.
