Nearly 60% of eligible Minnesotans have at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine dose

(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Health reported Friday nearly 60% of eligible Minnesotans have at least a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and around 47% are fully vaccinated.  

On Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz pledged to remove the statewide indoor mask mandate once Minnesota reaches a 70% vaccination rate or by July 1, whichever comes first. At the current pace, Minnesota will reach the 70% mark in early June.  

Meanwhile, MDH reported 1,453 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 more deaths attributed to the disease. Minnesota has now seen 585,677 COVID-19 cases and 7,216 deaths since the pandemic began.  

The 1,453 newly reported cases were out of 43,897 tests, a 3.3% positivity rate. Minnesota’s seven-day rolling average positivity rate, a lagging indicator, has declined to 5.8% from its peak at 7.4% in early April, a sign the state is coming down from its spring surge in infections. However, anything over 5% is a concern for MDH because it indicates a high rate of community transmission of the virus.  

Five of the 12 new deaths reported on Friday were people under the age of 65, including one person in their 30s. Eight of the deaths were in the seven-county Twin Cities metro and only one was a long-term care resident.  

As of Friday, nearly 88% of people 65 and older have at least a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are continuing to decrease week over week. There are 560 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Minnesota, compared to 619 last Friday. Of the 560 COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized, 144 are in the ICU.