Minnesota reports 127 new COVID-19 cases, 9 more deaths Sunday

(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Health reported 127 new COVID-19 cases and nine additional deaths Sunday. 

Of the nine newly reported deaths, one person was in their 40s and four were residents in long-term care facilities.

The seven-day average test positivity rate is down to about 1.7% 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.

While the amount of cases continues to drop, state health officials are closely watching the increase of COVID-19 variants across the state. The CDC recently classified the Delta variant as a "variant of concern" because it spreads more easily and can cause more severe symptoms. According to state data, Minnesota has reported at least 43 cases of the Delta variant.

There are currently 132 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Minnesota, 41 of whom are in the ICU.

Meanwhile, 66.1% 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 10 of the 87 counties in Minnesota have reached the 70% vaccination threshold: Carlton, Carver, Cook, Dakota, Hennepin, Houston, Olmsted, Ramsey, Scott and Washington.

Over 3 million Minnesotans age 12 and up now have at least one vaccine dose and nearly 2.8 million are fully vaccinated.