21 new COVID-19 deaths, 5,686 added infections reported Tuesday in Minnesota – Grand Forks Herald

ST. PAUL Minnesota recorded another 21 deaths to the coronavirus on Tuesday, Oct. 19, and 5,686 new infections.

The new cases reported Tuesday are from multiple days over the weekend because the state now only reports new results on business days. The new infections total is notably below the nearly 8,000 cases reported last Tuesday.

Minnesota also recorded 950 COVID-19 patients in the hospital Tuesday, a drop from the 1,007 reported Monday. The number in intensive care units, though, remained the same at 246.

The deaths reported Tuesday raise the total confirmed fatalities to the virus in Minnesota to 8,457 since the pandemics beginning. There are another 124 deaths where COVID-19 is listed on the death certificate but without a confirmed laboratory test.

Tuesdays deaths include:

The new infections raise the states total cases to 763,915 since the pandemics beginning. Of those, 736,234 no longer need to isolate themselves to prevent the spread of the virus.

Among the counties with the most new infections were:

Health officials say the best way to avoid a severe illness and to slow the spread of the coronavirus is to be vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated are roughly one-tenth as likely to be hospitalized and even less likely to die than those who are unvaccinated, according to a recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Minnesota has administered 6,728,296 doses of the three vaccines, that includes more than 250,000 third booster shots given.

Of those eligible, 3,276,208 Minnesotans have completed their vaccine series, or about 69.7%.

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21 new COVID-19 deaths, 5,686 added infections reported Tuesday in Minnesota - Grand Forks Herald