COVID In Minnesota: No New Deaths Reported Monday; Average Positivity Rate Drops To 7%

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The state reports there have been 1,805,781 people who have completed their vaccine series, and close to an additional 653,848 have received at least one dose. As of Monday, Minnesota has administered 4,078,308 doses of vaccine.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Minnesota Department of Health reported a total of 1,179 more cases but no new deaths due to the virus; this marks the first day the MDH reported no new deaths since roughly one month ago. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 569,440 positive cases and 7,079 deaths.

The state's rolling average positivity rate is now at 7%. While anything above 5% is considered cause for increased caution, the average figure has been trending down in recent days. Still, the rate of community spread remains high, with 43% of cases reported with no known source of exposure. The line of caution is drawn at 20%.

The latest figures of those hospitalized show 179 Minnesotans in ICU, which is down somewhat from the roughly 200 reported last week. The overall figures show hospitalization figures remain high as more cases of the U.K. variant are reported, with an average of 14.4 new daily hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. Anything above eight hospitalizations per 100,000 is considered high risk.

According to MDH, Minnesota processed 23,354 COVID tests since the last reported figures. Since the pandemic began, more than 3.98 million Minnesotans have been tested.

The current tally also indicates that 86% of seniors (age 65 and older) in Minnesota are now vaccinated. The state also reports that 56% of Minnesotans age 16 and older have already received at least one dose.