Minnesota's COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rate increase as vaccine eligibility expands

(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 1,660 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 more deaths Wednesday.

The state has now seen a total of 519,529 cases of COVID-19 and 6,848 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Of the newly reported deaths, 4 people were residents in long-term care facilities.

The 1,660 new cases were out of 22,481 tests, a 7.3% positivity rate. Statewide, the number of hospitalizations have been increasing, with 102 COVID-19 patients currently in the ICU and 309 not in the ICU but in the hospital. This is the first time since late January that more than 100 people have been in the ICU for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the state announced 38 percent of those age 16 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. About 1,658,176 Minnesotans have received at least one dose, while 1,031,749 have been fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expanding to all Minnesotans age 16+ on March 30

Starting March 30, Minnesota will be expanding eligibility to the COVID-19 vaccine to all Minnesotans aged 16 and up, according to a statement from the office of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector

People can sign up on the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to get updates on vaccine opportunities and be entered into the random selection process for the state’s community vaccination program sites.

About 850,000 people have registered on the website, state officials said.

If you are selected for an appointment at a mass vaccination site, you will be notified via email, text or phone by Primary Bio, Vault Health or SpeciaLysts (Solv). Emails will arrive from support@primarybio.com, mnvaccineteam@updates.vaulthealth.com, or Solv (SpecialLysts), so be sure to keep an eye on your spam folder. Phone calls will arrive from 954-716-7771.

Anyone with questions about the community vaccination program can contact the Minnesota COVID-19 Public Hotline at 1-833-431-2053 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Appointments are required at the mass vaccination sites.