Jan. 3, 2022

Minnesota’s COVID-19 roller coaster ride continues. The latest available data shows active cases rising again following a three-week December dip. The Twin Cities metro area is seeing the bulk of new case growth.

The percentage of COVID tests coming back positive is trending at nearly 10 percent again — about twice the 5 percent rate officials find concerning — after slipping to around 7 percent in late December.

Long lines of people formed outside COVID testing sites over the weekend, as Minnesota wrapped up a holiday break and many people prepared to head back to work and school.

Vault Health, which provides community testing for the state, is limiting delivery of mail-in tests, saying demand is the highest it has been for the entire pandemic. At the request of airport staff, the testing site at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is moving to appointments only on Monday because of crowding.

Meanwhile, testing centers at the Minneapolis Convention Center and Roy Wilkins Auditorium are extending hours this week, opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m.

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