891 new COVID-19 cases confirmed as community spread remains high

Feb. 21—New COVID-19 cases continue to be diagnosed across Minnesota while vaccination efforts continue.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 891 newly confirmed cases of the virus Sunday. That's the biggest single-day jump in new cases statewide since the beginning of February.

Health officials also announced nine additional deaths due to the virus. Two of the deaths occurred among residents of the Twin Cities metro area. Beltrami, Blue Earth, Carlton, Goodhue, Isanti, Rice and Sibley counties each reported one death. Four of the people who died were residents of long-term care facilities. Ages in the fatal cases ranged from one person in their 40s to three people in their 90s.

Community spread of the virus has reached an all-time high. As of Feb. 10, 44% of all new cases were a result of community spread — meaning the cases couldn't be traced to another known case or outbreak.

The hospitalization rate in the state remains relatively low, with 7.6 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, which is down from a peak of more than 37 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in November.

Vaccinations continue, with 754,602 people across Minnesota having received at least one dose of the two-dose vaccine, and 341,332 having completed the regimen.

Since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Minnesota in March last year, health officials have confirmed 479,036 cases, with 25,455 hospitalizations, due to the illness, and 6,432 deaths statewide.

Olmsted County Breakdown

(Updated Monday-Friday by Olmsted County Public Health)

Activity Dials

Weekly Case Counts

Case Demographics

Cluster Investigations

State Breakdown

Minnesota Positive Cases

Minnesota Deaths

Minnesota Hospitalizations