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Gov. Tim Walz laid out ambitious plans Thursday to get COVID-19 shots into the arms of every Minnesotan who wants one by the summer while keeping the state’s short-term focus on residents 65 and older.

"The finish line's there. Let's finish this thing,” Walz said in remarks that were mostly upbeat about the state’s current circumstances on the one-year anniversary of the first Minnesotan showing COVID-19 symptoms.

Walz indicated that the Minnesota State Fair is even a distinct possibility this year, after the pandemic canceled it in 2020. The fair, he said, “is within our reach.”

Fielding reporter questions later, he stayed buoyant. "There’s every reason for us to be super-optimistic,” he said of the state’s position on the pandemic arc. “Now we’re talking weeks, not months or years, until this thing is over.”

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Gov. Tim Walz rolls out vaccine timeline

What you need to know about getting a vaccine in MN

The governor’s remarks were tempered by data showing Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccination pace remains frustratingly flat.

The state Health Department on Thursday reported 28,517 new vaccinations, down from the prior Thursday, with the trend line stuck flat to slightly declining.

Officials hope the arrival of some 45,000 weather-delayed shots on top of the state’s regular 100,000-dose allocation will soon jump-start the pace of vaccinations, although it hasn’t happened yet and the pressure to move faster is rising.

Walz said the state wouldn’t expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines until at least 70 percent of residents age 65 and older get a first dose — a threshold officials expect to reach by the end of March.

Once that threshold has been met, Minnesota will open vaccinations to others based on underlying health conditions and workplace exposure risk, including some 45,000 employees working at Minnesota food processing plants.

The governor and other officials indicated that their timeline was conservative and expressed hope that it would move faster as more supplies — including the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine now under federal review — become available.

"We can't do it fast enough. Every single governor in this country is hearing the same things,” Walz said of vaccinations. “It's simply a supply and demand issue, folks There's not enough vaccines still at this point in time.”

14.1 percent of Minnesotans  had received at least one dose

 as of the the Thursday update, with about 6.9 percent completely vaccinated.

More than 43 percent of Minnesotans 65 and older have received at least one shot currently. However, people in that age group are still struggling to make appointments to get vaccinated.

called on the state to improve the process

, saying the current system has left many of their members “frustrated and confused” with some feeling “demoralized when their efforts to secure a vaccine come up empty.”

Walz has acknowledged those concerns, saying Thursday that the state is asking the federal government for more collaboration on where the vaccines are distributed to better connect people to vaccine supplies.

“We don't want people driving around,” Walz said. “We know that in this time of scarcity, it has felt a little like that “Hunger Games” because everybody wants in."

Minnesota currently ranks 17th among states in 

, according to data collected by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Minnesota had been as low as 25th on that ranking.

Tracking cases in Minnesota

From MPR News

From across Minnesota

Analysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota

Vaccination concerns aside, Minnesota’s COVID-19 numbers show the state holding fairly steady in a good way.

Hospitalization rates remain encouraging and down to levels from last fall. There were 265 people with COVID-19 in Minnesota hospitals as of Wednesday. The number needing intensive care fell to 50. 

Known, active cases stayed below 7,000 for the fourth consecutive day, the first time that’s happened since late September.

Seven newly reported deaths raised Minnesota’s toll to 6,450. Among those who’ve died, about 63 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.

The state has recorded 481,831 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including 996 reported Thursday. About 97 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point where they no longer need to be isolated.

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People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases  — nearly 91,000 since the pandemic began, including nearly 48,000 among people ages 20 to 24.

The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 37,000 total cases among those ages 15 to 19 since the pandemic began. 

Although less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts worry youth and young adults will spread it unknowingly to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations. 

People can have the coronavirus and spread COVID-19 when they don’t have symptoms. 

New year, new COVID-19 regulations in MN

Regionally, most parts of Minnesota are down significantly from the late November, early December spike as well as a January blip.

There has been an uptick in cases in northwestern Minnesota recently, although it’s unclear why. 

On Wednesday, Dan Huff, an assistant state health commissioner, expressed concern about the uptick seen in the northwest and west-central regions, saying it showed the state needed to remain vigilant against spread.

“The vaccines are coming and continue to increase, and that is fantastic news, but we’re not there yet,” he said, adding, that the state doesn’t have enough people vaccinated “to stop the next wave.”

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Caseloads still heaviest among people of color

In Minnesota and across the country, COVID-19 has hit 

communities of color disproportionately hard

 in both cases and deaths. That’s been especially true for

Even as new case counts continue to fall from their late November, early December peaks, the data shows Latino people continue to be hit hard.

, together with deeply rooted health and economic disparities, have hampered efforts to boost testing among communities of color, officials say, especially among unauthorized immigrants who fear their personal information may be used to deport them.

Distrust by communities of color “is the thing that has plagued us for some time,” Walz said Tuesday at a briefing promoting vaccinations for people of color.

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said that it’s been a “real problem” not having data broken down by race and ethnicity but that the state may have data to share by next week.

Families with kids urged to test every 2 weeks

With kids increasingly returning to school buildings and sports, Minnesota public health officials are urging Minnesota families with children to get tested every two weeks for COVID-19 now until the end of the school year.

While it’s not a requirement, the effort will help protect progress the state’s making to limit the spread of the virus, Huff told reporters Wednesday.

Families can use the state’s testing at home program, go to a community testing site or work with their own health provider, Huff said.

“We’re not asking schools or youth organizations to provide this testing,” he added. “This is a recommendation for all youth, in-person, returning to school, youth sports, extracurricular activities.”

Huff noted that the state’s teacher testing shows a very low level of COVID-19 in that population to date. Huff said some 72,000 educators have been tested with only a .35 percent positive test rate. Officials find a 5 percent rate as cause for concern.

Walz on Thursday said 88 percent of the state’s public school districts and charter schools are offering some in-person learning now.

Correction (March 5, 2021): An earlier version of this story described the total vaccinations as a percentage of Minnesota’s 16 and older population. The percentage includes the entire population.

Vaccine timeline from the Minnesota Department of Health

Click here for more information on each group

Watch: Gov. Tim Walz lays out vaccine timeline

Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at the 

Everything you need to know about getting COVID shots in MN

All states on track to reach herd immunity within a year

Full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

Entertainment coalition challenges COVID curbs on bar games in lawsuit

The owners and operators of darts, pool tables and other games in hundreds of bars are joining the legal challenge to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Minnesota Operators of Music and Amusement Association said Thursday that it was filling a lawsuit in Ramsey County, asking a judge to roll back an 11 p.m. curfew and capacity limits at bars, bowling alleys and other hospitality businesses.

Dan Lieberman, president of American Amusements, one of 25 companies that are part of the association, said they have about 700 employees, and have been very hard hit by COVID-19 restrictions.

“This is not a political issue,” Lieberman said. “It's a business issue. filing a lawsuit was a last resort. Our member businesses have been closed for five in the last 12 months with very little revenue coming in for almost half a year.”

Bars and restaurants, youth sports and mask mandate opponents have previously brought legal challenges to COVID-19 restrictions, none of which have succeeded in Minnesota. 

Minneapolis schools to bring middle, high school students to classroom

Minneapolis Public Schools will offer in-person learning for older students in March and April, the district announced Thursday. 

Minnesota’s third largest district is welcoming special education students back to in-person classes on March 22. On April 12, high school students will be able to return to in-person classes. The following week of April 19, middle school students will be able to return to in-person classes. 

Students who want to continue distance learning will be able to do so if they choose. 

The school district’s open date will come more than a month after the date Gov. Tim Walz told public schools they needed to begin offering in-person learning for older students. 

Minnesota Senate passes business reopening bill

The Minnesota Senate passed legislation Thursday to allow businesses to fully reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic if they have a plan for operating safely.

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As the state’s vaccination effort struggles for short-term traction, Gov. Tim Walz says every Minnesotan should be able to get a shot by the summer and that a 2021 State Fair is definitely possible. 

Gov. Walz vows COVID shots for all Minnesotans by summer

A man in a red checkered shirt speaks at a microphone.

Evan Frost | MPR News file

Newly reported COVID-19 vaccine doses in Minnesota

David H. Montgomery | MPR News

Graph of new ICU and non-ICU COVID-19 hospitalizations

Active, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota

New COVID-19 related deaths reported in Minnesota each day

New Minnesota COVID-19 cases by age, adjusted for population

Percent of COVID-19 tests to come back positive

Feb. 25 update on COVID-19 in MN: Walz vows shots for all by summer; State Fair 'within reach'

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