Minnesota health data roundup: The latest on COVID, abortion and air quality

Minnesota’s overall COVID numbers remain low with some continuing to decline since our last data roundup.
Ongoing data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall to all-time lows, with an average of only 6.4 new admissions per day, including 1.3 to intensive care units, during the week ending June 5.  
National data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Minnesota’s most recent weekly rate (0.71 per 100,000 for the week ending June 10) is the nation’s lowest. The national rate is also low (2 per 100,000), and no state exceeds the CDC’s designated “low” range (less than 10 per 100,000).
While Minnesota saw a 40 percent drop in weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations, neighboring states of Iowa and South Dakota each saw a 25 percent increase.  
Positive COVID trends can also be found in Twin Cities wastewater. Data from metro treatment plants show COVID counts at their lowest levels since early July 2021, according to the Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota’s Genomic Center.    
COVID’s presence in wastewater remains low throughout Minnesota, according to the University of Minnesota’s parallel statewide wastewater analysis. While the study’s Central and South Central regions did see an increase over the last month, those levels are recently on the decline. The South West region was the only one to see an increase in levels over the last week.

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