(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 826 new COVID-19 cases and 13 more deaths Saturday.
The state has now seen a total of 483,790 cases and 6,475 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Of the newly reported deaths, eight people were residents in longterm care facilities. The 826 new cases are out of 28,288 tests, a 2.9% positivity rate. Anything over 5% is a concern for health officials.
Meanwhile, about 804,716 Minnesotans have received at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 405,000 are fully vaccinated - roughly 15% and 7% of the state’s population respectively, according to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health. MDH’s data is accurate as of Wednesday as reporting lags by a few days.
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Minnesota releases updated COVID-19 vaccine timeline
Minnesota leaders released a new timeline for the upcoming phases of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Over 45% of Minnesota seniors have gotten at least their first dose of the vaccine. That is a closely watched figure as Gov. Tim Walz has said he will expand vaccine eligibility to more groups once 70% of seniors have one dose.
Minnesota releases updated vaccine eligibility timeline
On Thursday, Walz put forward an updated vaccine eligibility timeline, which categories people into five tiers extending into early summer. However, the state’s timeline may end up being much faster than Walz’s estimate if the number of doses from Pfizer and Moderna increase as the companies are promising and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
An updated timeline from the state of Minnesota on when people can expect to get their COVID-19 vaccine. (FOX 9)
Minnesotans are encouraged to sign up on the state’s Vaccine Connector website to be notified when they are eligible for a vaccine.