As COVID deaths in Minnesota surpass 13,000, the risk profile has a twist

Minnesota surpassed 13,000 COVID-19 deaths this week with the toll still falling hardest on the elderly, unhealthy and unvaccinated.

The coronavirus remains capable of surprises, though, as it veers to vulnerable locations or demographics or mutates into variants that threaten new populations. This week’s state COVID-19 update revealed a new twist: Women outnumber men in COVID-19 deaths this summer.

Women made up 45% of the 12,649 deaths before June, but 55% of the 323 deaths reported so far this summer.

Historically, women follow public health precautions such as mask-wearing more rigidly and outpaced men in COVID-19 vaccine uptake last year, said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Waning immunity and a lack of follow-up with booster shots this year could heighten exposure risks now.

“You can come up with 100 different reasons why women may be more exposed now,” he said, “perhaps because they were more diligent about not being exposed earlier (in the pandemic). But it’s not clear.”

Still, mortality…