Minnesota’s Covid-19 ICU hospitalizations are down 70% from their December peak

Last week, I noted that Minnesota’s Covid-19 ICU hospitalizations are down 66% from their December peak. Happily, this trend has continued.

Data from the Minnesota Department of Health, seen in Figure 1, shows that, as of the seven days up to and including January 20th, total average ICU hospitalizations in the state were 1,019. This is up from the low of 1,000 recorded for the seven days up to and including January 15th, but that increase has come entirely from non-Covid-19 ICU hospitalizations, which are up 35 over the period while ICU hospitalizations with Covid-19 are down 16. Indeed, ICU hospitalizations with Covid-19 are now down 70% – or 273 beds – from their peak of the seven days up to and including December 1st/2nd and are now lower than at any time since the seven days up to and including October 6th. Capacity remains at 1,212, 34% down from November.

Figure 1: ICU hospitalizations in Minnesota, seven day moving average

Source: Department of Health

The story is much the same with hospitalizations generally, as Figure 2 shows. In the seven days up to and including January 20th, total average non-ICU hospitalizations in Minnesota stood at 5,943. Again, this is up from the low of 5,415 in the seven days up to and including December 29th, but, also again, this is entirely down to an increase in non-Covid-19 hospitalizations. These are up 17% – or 789 beds – over the period while non-ICU hospitalizations with Covid-19 are down by 35%, or 261 beds. Indeed, non-ICU hospitalizations with Covid-19 are now down 67% – or 948 beds – from their peak of the seven days up to and including November 25th and remain lower than at any time between the seven days up to and including June 15th, when the data starts, and the seven days up to and including December 21st.

Figure 2: Non-ICU hospitalizations in Minnesota, seven day moving average

Source: Department of Health

As I wrote last week, each hospitalization and each death is a tragedy. But we must not be blinded to good news when it comes, and these numbers are good news.

John Phelan is an economist at the Center of the American Experiment.