COVID In Minnesota: Nearly 2M Have Completed Vaccine Series In State; 3 More Deaths Reported

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With Gov. Tim Walz possibly easing COVID-19 restrictions in Minnesota once more in the near future, the Minnesota Department of Health reports that 59% of Minnesotans 16 or older have received at least one dose, and close to 2 million have completed their vaccine series.

In total, the state has administered 4,379,654 doses of vaccine. As of this point, 87% of those 65 or older have received at least one dose.

In many parts of the U.S., COVID infection rates have been easing in recent days. As of this weekend, one out of every four people in the country is fully vaccinated. Nearly half of all Minnesotans fall into that category. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 580,340 positive cases and 7,163 deaths.

Meanwhile, Minnesota reported three new deaths attributable to COVID-19 in the last day, along with just over 1,105 newly confirmed positive cases from roughly 21,150 tests.

The state's rolling average positivity rate has slid to 6.2%. While anything above 5% is considered cause for increased caution, the positivity rate has been on a steady decline following a peak last month at about 7.5%. Still, the rate of community spread remains as high as it's been since the beginning of the pandemic, with 43.7% of cases reported with no known source of exposure. The line of caution is drawn at 20%.

The latest figures of those hospitalized show 155 Minnesotans in ICU, down roughly a quarter from about two weeks ago when that figure topped 200. The overall figures show hospitalization figures remain high as more cases of the U.K. variant are reported, with an average of 13.4 new daily hospitalizations per 100,000 residents. Anything above eight hospitalizations per 100,000 is considered high risk.

According to MDH, since the pandemic began, more than 4 million Minnesotans have been tested.

The last rollback of COVID restrictions in Minnesota came about halfway through March, when restaurants and bars were allowed to operate at 75% capacity, and gym capacities increased to 50%. Capacity limits at religious services and salons were completely lifted. Entertainment venues were also allowed to up indoor and outdoor occupancy levels from 25% to 50%, with a maximum of 250 people.