Minnesota has set another 2021 record for COVID-19 patients receiving hospital care.
The latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows that as of Monday, hospitals across the state were caring for 1,429 patients who tested positive for the pandemic virus. It was the highest reading year-to-date, rivaled only by last Thursday when Minnesota hospitals were treating 1,420 patients with COVID-19.
While hospital figures were down over the weekend, the resurgence on Monday means the state continues to push toward last year's pandemic peak of 1,864 hospitalized patients in late November.
The Health Department on Tuesday reported 11,455 new cases from the 72-hour period starting at 4 a.m. Friday and ending at 4 a.m. Monday. Tuesday's case report is always the highest of the week because it encompasses three days, and today's tally is up from last Tuesday's count of nearly 11,000 new cases.
Health officials have linked another 37 deaths with COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 9,229 fatalities. While most who have died in the pandemic were age 65 and older, the deaths reported Tuesday include a Dakota County resident from 30 to 34.
The state and Minneapolis-based M Health Fairview on Tuesday announced plans to expand capacity in the Twin Cities metro area for monoclonal antibody treatments, an outpatient drug provided through infusions or injections.
Demand for antibodies is skyrocketing across Minnesota with the latest COVID-19 surge, as evidence mounts that the treatment can help prevent hospitalizations and deaths. But health systems in the metro have been providing a disproportionately small share of treatments, which prompted the Health Department in October to open its own infusion center.
The state's infusion center, as well as a new M Health Fairview clinic in Columbia Heights, are not available for walk-in patients. Instead, those seeking treatment must work with their health care providers or go through the Minnesota Resource Allocation Platform (MNRAP), a website that connects patients with treatment providers.
Monoclonal antibodies are an outpatient treatment for patients with mild to moderate symptoms that started within the previous 10 days. It's an option for those at high risk of hospitalization or death.
"These moves strengthen the capacity of providers in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota to respond to potentially serious COVID-19 cases," Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a statement.
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