Grant County COVID update

As 2021 came to an end, Grant County’s death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic had climbed to 12, with the total number of cases at 1,120. Seven of the deaths occurred in 2020 and five in 2021. The last three deaths came fairly close to each other – Nov. 29, Dec. 8 and Dec. 17.

     Since Sept. 29, there has only been one day on which Grant County did not see a new case of COVID-19 reported by the Minnesota Department of Health. That single day was Dec. 22.

     The COVID-19 pandemic started slowly in 2020 for Grant County with just four cases in May and two cases in June. July 2020 saw a little spike of 38 cases, but then August saw only 11 and September 2020 just nine. 

     However, the number of deaths the county was seeing was worrisome. With only 55 cases by the end of September 2020, the county had seen four deaths.

    Going into the fall of 2020, officials were concerned about the potential rapid increase of COVID-19 cases once people moved indoors as the weather turned colder. They were right to be worried.

     October 2020 saw cases of the deadly disease rise to 46. Then came November with its record number of cases. Grant County saw 178 cases of COVID-19 in November 2020. It was the highest number of cases it would see over the next year. December 2020 saw cases fall to 105 but as 2020 ended, Grant County had recorded seven deaths due to the disease.

     There was reason for optimism as 2021 got underway. December 15, 2020, the first Minnesotans were vaccinated against COVID-19. Residents of long-term care facilities as well as healthcare worker in clinics, hospitals, and senior facilities were first in line for the vaccine.

     By the middle of March, an increasing number of Minnesotans 65 years of age and older and those with underlying medical conditions were being vaccinated. By April, the COVID-19 vaccine was becoming widely available to younger adults. Case numbers in Grant County and Minnesota were continuing to fall. 

     The county entered the summer with no additional deaths after seeing its eighth COVID-19 death in January 2021. In both June and July, Grant County saw just one case in each month. People were actively getting together outside. At the same time, bars and restaurants were seeing more activity inside as well.

     At the same time, a new, more deadly, and infectious variant of COVID-19 was circulating in the U.S. – Delta. By the end of July 2021, the Delta variant accounted for more than 80 percent of the new cases in America. 

     In Grant County, August saw an increase in COVID-19 cases to 27 but that wasn’t an overly alarming number. Then September brought another 87 cases, making it the worst month for new cases in 2021. The county also saw its ninth death from the disease.

     November saw the number of new cases accelerate as people gathered indoors and the delta variant spread. Grant County recorded 181 cases of the disease in November 2021, making it the worst month since the pandemic began in May 2020. The county recorded another death in November, bringing its total to nine.

     New case numbers are down dramatically in December, but it was still the third worst month for COVID-19 with 106 cases. 

     When COVID-19 struck the state, those most at risk of dying were those 65 and older. Those in assisted living facilities and those with underlying health problems were at added risk.

     In those early months, those 70 and older accounted for 82% of the deaths in the state with those under 70 accounting for just 18%. Young people who became sick with COVID-19 were far less likely to be hospitalized and die from the disease. However, the delta variant proved to be more deadly.

     However, with 93% of those 65 and older now vaccinated in Minnesota, the percentages of those dying has shifted to include a higher number of the unvaccinated younger age groups. Since the start of May 2021, 38% of COVID-19 deaths are now among those under 70 – a rise of 20 percentage points.

Grant County COVID-19 History

Month Cases Total Deaths Total

May 2020 4 4 0 0

June 2020 2 6 0 0

July 2020 38 44 1 1

Aug. 2020 11 55 3 4

Sept. 2020 9 64 0 4

Oct. 2020 46 110 1 5

Nov. 2020 178 288 1 6

Dec. 2020 105 393 1 7

Jan. 2021 57 450 1 8

Feb. 2021 41 491 0 8

March 2021 26 525 0 8

April 2021 43 560 0 8

May 2021 33 593 0 8

June 2021 1 594 0 8

July 2021 1 595 0 8

Aug. 2021 27 622 0 8

Sept. 2021 87 709 1 9

Nov. 2021 181 1,014 1 10

Dec. 2021 106 1,120 2 12

Vaccination rates lag in Grant County

     While vaccinations have proven safe and effective, with hundreds of millions of doses administered in the U.S. and billions worldwide, a significant number of younger people are still reluctant to get the shot.

     COVID-19 vaccines are now available to children as young as five years of age.

     Among the largest age group that the Minnesota Department of Health tracks for vaccinations, those 18 to 49, Grant County has seen a very slow increase over the past five months. Back at the end of August, 39% of people in this age group had been vaccinated. As 2021 ends, that percentage has only increased to 47%.

     As a whole, Minnesotans between the ages of 18 and 49 are 65% vaccinated. However, if you look at the state’s metropolitan areas, the vaccination rates are far higher. In Hennepin County, 77% of those between 18 and 49 are vaccinated.

     Among those 50 to 64 years of age, 62% are vaccinated in Grant County while 82% of those in this age group in Hennepin County are vaccinated. Among the youngest age group, those 5 to 11, only 8% in the county are vaccinated compared to 33% in Hennepin County. The vaccine was not available to this youngest age group until late October.

Grant County Vaccination Rate Progress

Age 12-30 11-26 10-29 9-30 8-27

5-11 8% 6% – – –

12-15 32% 30% 29% 25% 19%

16-17 56% 55% 52% 51% 45%

18-49 47% 45% 43% 41% 39%

50-64 62% 62% 61% 58% 57%

65+ 79% 80% 79% 76% 76%

All* 51% 49% 48% 46% 46%