MINNEAPOLIS — COVID-19 rates have declined slightly in Minnesota, where no new coronavirus mutations have emerged with the intensity of last fall's delta variant to present a threat to the state.
The seven-day average of lab-confirmed coronavirus infections had remained steady at around 1,400 per day for much of July and August, but dropped below 1,200 per day on Aug. 28, according to the state's weekly pandemic situation report.
The drop in infections appears to have combined with a nursing strike of 15 Twin Cities and Duluth area hospitals this week to reduce hospitalizations as well. The 6,791 patients in Minnesota hospitals on Tuesday, including 385 who had COVID-19, represented the lowest total since May 2021.
