1 in 6 Minnesotans has at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine

(FOX 9) - One in six Minnesotans has at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials reported Wednesday.

The latest Minnesota Department of Health data shows 928,963 Minnesotans have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 484,383 are fully vaccinated, which is around 17% and 9% of the state's population respectively.

Over 54% of Minnesota seniors now have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according MDH data, which is accurate as of March 1. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told the Senate Aging committee Wednesday she is "highly confident" that Minnesota will vaccinate 70% of seniors before the end of the month, allowing a quicker expansion of eligibility.

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MDH said 161,010 more Minnesotans will get access to a COVID-19 vaccine this week. The state's weekly vaccine allocation includes 45,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the weekend.

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Meanwhile, health officials reported 788 new cases of COVID-19 and 17 more deaths Wednesday. Of the newly reported deaths, seven were residents in long-term care facilities.

The 788 newly reported cases were among 20,512 tests conducted in the last 24-hour period, a 3.8% positivity rate. MDH says anything over 5% is a concern.

The state has seen 486,434 cases and 6,507 deaths since the start of the pandemic.