COVID In Minnesota: 2 Deaths, 546 New Cases Reported Friday
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - State health officials reported 546 new COVID-19 cases Friday and two deaths.
There's been a slight uptick in positivity rate recently; after bottoming out at 2.7%, figures show a bump to 2.9% as of March 24. Still, the number is below the line of caution, which sits at 5%.
In all, there have been over 1.43 million positive COVID-19 cases in Minnesota since March of 2020 and 12,410 deaths. The two deaths reported on Friday both took place in February.
Case growth has slowed in the past month, and Minnesota is now seeing 7 cases per 100,000 residents. Hospitalizations have also dropped below the line of caution, at 3.4 per 100,000 residents.
There were 26 people with the virus in intensive care beds across Minnesota as of Thursday afternoon, and another 163 people in non-ICU beds. There have been a total over 61,586 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic.
Health data shows that 70% of the state's population has received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 66% have completed the series. However, less than 50% of the state's eligible population is up to date with their booster.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the way for a second Moderna and Pfizer booster shot for adults who are 50 and older. The decision came as a new strain of the Omicron variant makes its way across the globe. Several drugstore chains including Walgreens and CVS now carry the dose.
