COVID In Minnesota: MDH Reports 996 More Positive Cases And 7 More Deaths
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- In the wake of the FDA's approval of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, the Minnesota Department of Health has reported 996 more cases of the virus, and seven more deaths.
As of Feb. 22, there have been 1,142,741 doses of the COVID vaccine distributed in the state. So far, 370,981 people have completed the vaccine series, or about 6.7% of the state's overall population.
The health department reports that 42,724 COVID-19 tests were processed in the last 24 hours, suggesting a daily positivity rate of 2.3%.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, there have been 481,831 total cases confirmed in Minnesota since the start of the pandemic last March. The state's death toll is now 6,450.
The state's latest figures show a rolling seven-day average positivity rate is at 3.7% as of Feb. 16, due to data lag; that's considered to be below the threshold for caution, according to the health department. The new hospitalizations rate per 100,000 residents continues dropping, with the latest figures indicating 6.7%, which is still in the realm of caution but below high risk.
On the other hand, the rate of COVID-19 cases with no known source -- in other words, through community spread -- remains as high as it's ever been; the latest figure shows nearly 46% of cases in that category. Anything above 30% is considered high risk, and anything above 20% is considered cause for caution.
Hospitalization figures also continue their downward trend. About 25,500 people have needed hospitalization for the virus since the pandemic began. As of Feb. 24, there are 50 patients with COVID-19 needing intensive care unit beds and an additional 215 patients needing non-ICU beds.
Over 3.4 million people have taken a COVID test in Minnesota, and there have been 7.2 million tests administered in the state since the start of the pandemic.