(FOX 9) - Health officials announced Saturday that 1,016,274 Minnesotans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 543,696 have received both doses. The news comes as the state reports 975 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 more deaths.
So far, Minnesota has seen 489,116 cases of COVID-19 and 6,546 deaths. Of the newly reported deaths, two were residents in longterm care facilities.
The 975 new cases were out of 32,076 tests, a 3% positivity rate. Anything over 5% is a concern for MDH.
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Minnesota Department of Health urges caution amid coronavirus spread in Carver County
The Minnesota Department of Health has put out a warning Friday night as they say they are seeing clusters of cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdom, particularly among young athletes in Carver County.
Meanwhile, health officials announced a new temporary testing site is opening in Thief River Falls. The site will be at the Thief River Falls Armory and will be open March 9-11 from noon-6 p.m. Appointments are strongly encouraged but not required.
"We are increasingly concerned about dramatic increases in cases particularly in Pennington County which is the highest case rate in the state, more than 5 times the statewide average and 6 times that of Hennepin County. Right now Thief River Falls is the center of this COVID-19 hotspot, which is spreading to neighboring counties," Dan Huff, MDH assistant commissioner for health protection, said in the release.
Vaccine efforts continue
Heath officials say Minnesota will get 127,160 first doses next week, all from Pfizer and Moderna. That is a 20% drop in total allocation from this week's 161,010 because states aren't getting any Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Just looking at Pfizer and Moderna comparisions, allocation is going up 10% next week.
VACCINE TIMELINE: Find out when you will get your COVID-19 vaccine
Malcolm told the Senate Aging committee Wednesday she is "highly confident" that Minnesota will vaccinate 70% of seniors before the end of the month, allowing a quicker expansion of eligibility. Walz says Minnesota will "significantly beat" his original vaccine timeline.
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