Minnesota reports sixth young COVID-19 death

Minnesota on Tuesday reported its sixth death in someone 24 or younger from COVID-19, an infectious disease that has caused 6,789 deaths overall in the state.

The state Department of Health also reported 870 more diagnosed infections with the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, bringing its overall case count to 507,231. An Anoka County resident age 20 to 24 was among seven COVID-19 deaths reported on Tuesday and suffered from underlying health conditions that complicated the disease.

State health officials have urged people to continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and stay home when sick despite progress in vaccinating Minnesotans against COVID-19. The latest totals showed that 1,437,931 people in Minnesota had received vaccine, and 854,827 people had completed the series by receiving two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer versions or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson version.

Based on state population estimates, more than 40% of people 16 and older who are eligible to receive vaccine in Minnesota have received at least a first dose. Nearly 80% of senior citizens have received vaccine as well — a key priority group that has suffered 89% of the state's COVID-19 deaths.

Roughly 3.5 million people are eligible for vaccine in Minnesota, which has prioritized seniors, health care workers, educators, long-term care residents and non-elderly adults with qualifying health conditions or high-risk occupations.

Gov. Tim Walz is expected to announce a schedule later this week for when the rest of Minnesotans will become eligible. The governor remains in quarantine through Thursday following contact with a staffer who tested positive for COVID-19.

The vaccine progress is being measured against an uptick in pandemic activity in Minnesota, where 87 intensive care hospital beds were filled on Monday with COVID-19 patients. That is the highest total since Jan. 31, though below the peak of 399 COVID-19 ICU hospitalizations on Dec. 1.

Underlying health conditions have contributed to a majority of COVID-19 deaths involving people younger than 65 in Minnesota as well as hospitalizations.

The state has reviewed 11,116 COVID-19 hospitalizations and found that 77% involved patients with underlying health conditions. Among this sample group, 34% had obesity and 47% had hypertension.

Cough, shortness of breath and fever remain the most common symptoms for COVID-19 patients when they are admitted to hospitals — with 7% reporting loss of taste and 5% reporting loss of smell.

The median length of stay was five days for these COVID-19 patients, with 23% needing intensive care and 13% needing placement on a ventilator.

While 10% of the hospitalized patients died, that rate varied by age from 22% of patients 75 or older down to 2% of patients aged 18 to 49.