COVID In Minnesota: 80 New Cases Report; Positivity Rate Continues To Fall
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota health officials reported Tuesday 80 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional death.
The latest update from the Minnesota Department of Health shows the state's cumulative case count stands at 604,687 while the death toll has risen to 7,550.
While the state's rate of vaccination has slowed in recent weeks, over 66% of Minnesotans 16 and older have received at least one vaccine shot. Nearly 63% of those 16+ have completed their vaccine series.
This puts the state on pace to hit the 70% vaccination rate for adults early next month, which is what health officials have been aiming for since early spring.
Minnesota is currently the only Midwestern state with over 50% of its population fully vaccinated.
Minnesotans as young as 12 can get the vaccine. When factoring in all who are eligible, 54% of the population has received their first shot while 51% are fully inoculated.
In the last 24 hours, 5,509 tests were processed in Minnesota, suggesting a daily positivity rate of 1.4%.
As of last week, the average positivity rate was at 1.3%, the lowest percentage recorded since figures began being tracked in March of 2020.
The rates of case growth, deaths and hospitalizations are also at some of their lowest points since the start of the pandemic. These figures continue to fall as Minnesotans increasingly return (unmasked) to restaurants, shops and theaters.