Beltrami County Public Health Director Megan Heuer reports there are 305 active cases of COVID-19 within the county.
COVDI-19 patients are occupying 16 hospital beds, with nine of them being Beltrami County residents.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported 2,803 new COVID-19 cases Monday and 22 new deaths.
Two of the deaths reported Monday were Cass County residents. One was a resident in their late 60s, and the other was a resident in their early 80s.
Of all cases reported Monday, 38 were in Beltrami County, 19 were in Cass County, 23 were in Clearwater County, and 24 were in Hubbard County.
Since the pandemic began, Beltrami County has had 5,382 cases and 72 deaths, Cass County has had 3,573 cases and 38 deaths, Clearwater County has had 1,116 cases and 18 deaths, and Hubbard County has had 2,442 cases and 41 deaths.
After authorizations from both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control, Gov. Tim Walz announced that the state would begin administering Pfizer COVID booster shots to eligible Minnesotans.
According to a release, eligible Minnesotans are those who have already received two doses of a Pfizer vaccine and meet one or more of these criteria:
- People 65 and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster;
- People 50-64 with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster;
- People 18-49 with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster;
- People 18-64 who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional settings, such as frontline medical workers, teachers and first responders, may receive a booster.
Federal health officials are still reviewing data for boosters with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccines are widely available across the state for a first, second or booster dose.
Federal guidelines recommend waiting six months from the second and the booster Pfizer shots.
According to the CDC’s COVID tracker, 73 percent of all adults in Beltrami County have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with just over 61 percent of the adult population vaccinated.
New hospital admissions in the county rose 20 percent in a week, with 18 patients newly admitted to local hospitals.
