Reporting COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Infections

On this page:
What to report
How to report
Isolate submission
Other reporting
Who is required to report
Reporting authority and notification

What to report

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is requiring all mandated reporters to report any cases and deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 to MDH within one working day.

How to report COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 virus

• COVID-19 Case Report Form
  COVID-19 may be reported using the MDH COVID-19 Case Report Form.
  Updated 1/21/22
  • Long-term care facilities: Submitting Clinical Information on Long Term Care COVID-19 Cases
    Cases in long-term care facilities must be reported through this online form.
• Phone
  Any reportable infectious disease may be reported by phone to 651-201-5414 or 877-676-5414.

Isolate submission and laboratory testing

• Evaluating and Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  Isolate submission to MDH.

Who is required to report

• Health care practitioners (health care facilities, medical laboratories, and in certain circumstances veterinarians and veterinary medical laboratories) are required to report disease to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) under Minnesota state law.
  • Unless previously reported, every licensed health care provider who provides care to any patient who has, is suspected of having, or has died from a reportable disease is required to report.
• Any person in charge of any institution, school, child care facility, or camp is also required to report disease to MDH.

Reporting: authority and notification letters

MDH is conducting this surveillance per Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4605.7050. Specifically, Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4605.7050, Subpart 1 requires that, “Any pattern of cases, suspected cases, or increased incidence of any illness beyond the expected number of cases in a given period, which may indicate a newly recognized infectious agent, an outbreak, epidemic, emerging drug resistance, or public health hazard, . . . be reported immediately by telephone, by the person having knowledge, to the commissioner. Subpart 3, also says that, “[u]pon request of the commissioner, medical laboratories shall submit test results and clinical materials for cases and suspected cases reported under subparts 1 and 2 to the Minnesota Department of Health, Public Health Laboratory.”

• MLS: Notification Letter to Minnesota Health Care Providers, Hospitals, and Clinical Laboratories Regarding Reporting of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Infections (PDF)
  Letter from the Commissioner to mandated reporters, March 3, 2020

Other COVID-19 reporting

• Registering and Reporting COVID-19 Deaths