Minnesota’s firmly back on the wrong track with COVID-19

3 things to know:

• 4,253 newly confirmed or probable cases, 34 newly reported deaths

• 25,387 known, active cases, a high for 2021; 990 currently hospitalized

• 75.1percent of 16-and-older residents with at least one vaccine dose

Minnesota’s firmly back on the wrong track in the COVID-19 pandemic. The state on Monday posted its highest single-day count of new cases since December. Active cases also reached a 2021 high and the rate of tests coming back positive is edging higher. Known, active cases rose to 25,387 on Monday — the highest count for all of 2021. The seven-day average for new daily cases rose slightly. The newest cases are most prevalent among working age-Minnesotans, rather than among children, as they were a month ago, or among the elderly, who were hardest hit early in the pandemic.

The state's death toll stands at 8,862, including 34 deaths newly reported on Monday. Deaths typically follow a surge in cases and hospitalizations. In past COVID-19 waves, it’s been the last of the key metrics to improve.

Deaths are trending now at their highest levels since January, averaging two dozen a day over the last seven reporting days. The Biden Administration's new COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large businesses was temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court on Saturday. The mandate would require those working for businesses employing 100 or more people to get fully vaccinated or tested weekly by Jan. 4, 2022, the White House announced Nov. 4. This is part of President Joe Biden's new employer vaccination mandate issued in September, and will cover 84 million workers. The requirement is designed to curb the surge in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths caused by the virus, including the delta variant.