(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 1,087 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 additional deaths Saturday.
The newly reported cases were out of 32,732 tests—a 3.3% positivity rate, according to the latest Minnesota Department of Health data. Minnesota’s seven-day moving average positivity rate is now 3.5%. Anything over 5% is a concern for health officials.
There have now been 460,819 cases of COVID-19 reported in Minnesota since the first infection was reported in the state in March. Over 96% of those cases have recovered to the point where the patient no longer needs to be isolated.
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70 year old coronavirus survivor leaves hospital after 70 days
Exactly 70 days after being admitted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for severe COVID-19 symptoms, 74-year-old Glenn Verling is finally back with his family. His battle with the coronavirus, however, isn’t over yet.
Eleven of the 19 deaths reported on Saturday were residents in long-term care or assisted living facilities. To date, more than two-thirds of Minnesota’s deaths have been in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
A total of 6,187 people in Minnesota have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
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Seniors traverse lottery system to get COVID-19 vaccines in Minnesota
As the COVID-19 vaccination effort continues, some worry that a group of seniors are being left behind as vaccinations march on.
As of Friday, MDH reported 354,636 Minnesotans have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine—approximately 9% of the state’s 16 and older population—and 96,824 people are fully inoculated, although the state’s vaccine reporting lags by three days.
A total of 106,513 seniors have gotten at least one dose, which is 12.8% of the state’s 65 and older population.