COVID In Minnesota: Health Officials Report 100 New Cases, 4 More Deaths
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota health officials reported Monday 100 more cases of COVID-19 and four related deaths.
The latest update from the Minnesota Department of Health brings the cumulative case count to 604,608 and the death toll to 7,549.
While the state's vaccination rate has slowed in recent weeks, over 66% of Minnesotans 16 and older have received at least one vaccine shot. Officials are aiming to have about 70% of adults in Minnesota vaccinated by early next month.
The vaccine is currently available to Minnesotans as young as 12. When factoring in the total eligible population, 54% of Minnesotans have received at least one dose while 51% are fully inoculated.
In the last 24 hours, 10,240 tests were processed in Minnesota, suggesting a daily positivity rate of .97%. As of last week, the average positivity rate was at 1.6%, the lowest it's been since officials began tracking the figure last March.
Likewise, the rates of case growth, deaths and hospitalizations have also dropped to near-record lows. The slowing of the virus comes as Minnesotans are increasingly returning (unmasked) to movie theaters, restaurants and shopping centers. They are also looking forward to a Great Minnesota Get-Together this summer without COVID-19 restrictions.
While Gov. Tim Walz's peacetime emergency powers were extended last week by another 30 days, the governor told the Minnesota Executive Council that the state's fight against the pandemic was in its "final phases."
