Drive-by parade to honor local health care workers is Wednesday in Willmar
The stress of being on the medical front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic has been taxing on local health care providers. To help boost their spirits and show community appreciation, a drive-by parade will be held Wednesday afternoon at six health care facilities in Willmar. 7:00 am, May 8, 2021 ×
A sign thanking Carris Health personnel is displayed through a window in the Anderson Larson Saunders & Klaassen Attorneys at Law building facing Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar.
Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune
WILLMAR In a display of unity and support for local health care workers, a drive-by vehicle parade will be held Wednesday afternoon in Willmar.
Minnesota enters the first full week of 2021 with COVID-19 numbers in a much better place than they were a month ago.
But there have been signs in recent days that a weekslong downward trend in new cases, hospital admissions and test positivity rates might be leveling off.
Sunday s update from state health officials covered two days worth of data, catching up from the New Year s Day holiday. That temporarily muddles the weekly averages that can show pandemic trends better than the day-to-day numbers.
But prior to Sunday s updated numbers, there were signs of a possible stall in what had been a steady decline in several key metrics.
415,302 positive cases (2,204 new), 397,080 off isolation (96 percent)
5.5 million tests, 3 million people tested (about 52 percent of the population)
6.6 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent concerning)
Known, active cases of the disease continue to fall and are now near 13,000, having peaked around 50,000 a month ago, part of an overall slowdown in caseloads since their late November, early December peak.
The state has reported 97,099 new positive cases of COVID-19 in December, a volume of new cases second only to November’s 170,000-case record.
Hospitalization trends have also improved significantly over the past two weeks. As of Wednesday, 895 people were in the hospital with COVID-19 in Minnesota, with 196 of those patients needing intensive care. Both numbers are down by about half from their late November peaks.
Staff in the Willmar long-term care facility also were given the opportunity to receive the vaccine.
“It was a great day,” Thorson said. “There s been so many setbacks, and just when you think you have everything right, something changes.
“So you could just feel the difference in the air. You could just feel the difference in the energy of everybody around you as you were giving the vaccine from room to room. So it was definitely cool.”
Nearly two weeks into Minnesota s vaccine distribution program, about 38,000 people have received their first shots.
Vaccinations of health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities are expected to continue for the next few weeks.