(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Health reported 142 new COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths Thursday as the state’s seven-day rolling average test positivity rate declines to 1.8%, well below the caution threshold.
The 142 newly reported cases were out of 15,518 tests, a 0.9% positivity rate. The seven-day average test positivity rate is down to 1.8% from its spring peak of 7.4% in early April. Anything over 5% is cause for concern for health officials because it indicates a high rate of community transmission.
Three of the four people who died were under the age of 65, including one Hennepin County resident in their 20s and a Le Sueur County resident in their 30s. Out of the 7,527 deaths attributed to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, only 13 have been people in their 20s and 51 were people in their 30s. None of the deaths reported on Monday were in long-term care facilities.
There are currently 152 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Minnesota, 44 of whom are in the ICU.
Meanwhile, 66% of Minnesotans 16 years of age and older have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. At the current pace of vaccinations, it appears Minnesota will fall short of its goal of vaccinating 70% of that population by July 1.
So far, only 11 of the 87 counties in Minnesota have reached the 70% vaccination threshold: Anoka, Carlton, Carver, Cook, Dakota, Hennepin Houston, Olmsted, Ramsey, Scott and Washington.
Over 3 million Minnesotans now have at least one vaccine dose and nearly 2.8 million are fully vaccinated.