COVID In Minnesota: Positivity Rate Holding Steady At 6.6%; 9 More Deaths Reported

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As more students head back to classrooms, some with mask mandates in place and others without, health officials on Thursday reported an additional 1,215 virus cases and nine more deaths, from roughly 31,000 newly processed tests.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health's daily update, the state's total positive cases have risen to 664,459 since the pandemic began, with 7,874 deaths attributed to the virus.

Meanwhile, the latest positivity rate is still holding in place at 6.6%. The positivity rate, which has been on the rise since dipping to 1.1% in late June, remains in the "caution" status. The line for high risk is drawn at 10%.

ICU beds remain close to fully filled in the Twin Cities metro area, and southeastern Minnesota. At latest check, 97.1% of ICU beds in the metro area were currently in use. The situation is almost as bad in southeastern Minnesota, where only eight beds are still open (or 3.6%). The Twin Cities metro area shows 20 ICU beds still available, along with 28 non-ICU beds, which accounts for just 0.8% of the area's capacity.

As of Thursday morning, figures from the Minnesota Department of Health showed that about 72.2% of Minnesotans 16 or older had received at least one dose, and 93% of those 65 or older had received at least one dose. In total, the state has administered 6,262,798 doses of vaccine, with about 3.15 million residents having completed their vaccine series.

There are also a reported 29.3 daily new cases per 100,000 Minnesota residents, which puts the state well above the line considered high risk. The state spent the early part of summer well below the line of caution, which is drawn at only five new cases daily per 100,000 residents.

In an effort to minimize spread of the Delta variant, more mass testing sites are opening up in the metro area, including a re-opening of the testing site at the Minneapolis Convention Center.