COVID In Minnesota: As State Preps For Vaccine Expansion, 1,550 New Cases Reported And 5 More Deaths

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- On Tuesday, Minnesota's vaccine eligibility will expand to everyone 16 and older. On Monday, the Minnesota Department of Health reports that there are 1,550 new cases of the virus and five more deaths.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 516,608 positive cases and 6,835 deaths.

Meanwhile, the state's rolling average positivity rate continues to tick upward, nearing the 5% rate that would indicate caution for authorities working to determine what restrictions should apply to venues.

Hospitalization figures continue to also rise slightly, with about 6.7 new daily hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, according to the latest rolling average. Anything above 8 hospitalizations per 100,000 is considered high risk.

According to Minnesota's health department, Minnesota processed 22,622 COVID tests within the last 24 hours. Since the pandemic began, almost 3.7 million Minnesotans have been tested.

As of Tuesday, Minnesota has administered about 2.54 million doses of vaccine, with about 990,000 people having completed the entire vaccine series. Roughly 1.6 million Minnesotans, or about 29% of the state's overall population, have received at least one dose.

The current tally also indicates that 81% of seniors (age 65 and older) in Minnesota are now vaccinated.

Gov. Tim Walz on Friday announced everyone 16 or older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines starting Tuesday, meaning nearly one million more Minnesotans are allowed to get in line. State officials caution, though, demand still outpaces supply so not everyone will be able to get their shot right away.

The state has a Vaccine Connector program to help notify you when a vaccine becomes available to you. People who sign up for the connector may also be randomly selected for one of the state's community vaccination sites.