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Minnesota’s COVID-19 data continues to show a pandemic in retreat. New cases, known active cases and new hospital admissions are all declining from the spring surge. Even more encouraging: the seven-day new case trend has fallen to its lowest level since late September.

At the same time, the effort to get the vast majority of Minnesota adults vaccinated is struggling to regain traction.

ended Minnesota’s statewide mask-wearing order

, officials acknowledge the need to do more to get shots into the arms of Minnesota adults who still don’t have them.

Analysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota

How to get a COVID-19 shot in Minnesota

From MPR News

COVID-19 in Minnesota

Active cases, hospitalizations trending down

Despite concerns around the vaccination rate, the overall pandemic picture continues to brighten. 

The count of known, active COVID-19 cases is at 7,356. Active cases have fallen by nearly half over the past few weeks and are down nearly two-thirds from their most recent high of around 20,000 in mid-April. 

There are 396 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota; 116 needed intensive care. Both figures continue to trend down from their April peaks. It’s the first time since late March that current hospitalizations have fallen below 400.

New hospital admissions have dropped significantly and are trending at six-week lows. 

Twenty-one newly reported deaths Friday brought Minnesota’s pandemic toll to 7,354. Among those who have died, about 60 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted-living facilities; most had underlying health problems. 

The state has recorded 597,731 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including the 690 posted Friday — the seventh consecutive day of fewer than 1,000 new cases. About 98 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 in the pandemic have recovered to the point where they no longer need to isolate. 

Regionally, all parts of Minnesota are in better shape than they were in late November and early December. Case counts had crept up across the state during April, but the trend is clearly on the slide. 

Officials continue to implore Minnesotans to keep their guard up during proms, graduations and other spring events, noting that more contagious COVID-19 variants are driving new cases across the state.

People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 110,000 since the pandemic began. The number of high school-age youth confirmed with the disease has also grown, with more than 48,000 15-to-19-year-olds known to be infected during the pandemic. 

Although young people are less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease and end up hospitalized, experts worry they can spread it unknowingly to older relatives and members of other vulnerable populations. Those with the COVID-19 virus can spread it when they don’t have symptoms.

About teenagers and the COVID-19 vaccine in MN

Unvaccinated kids and updated mask guidance

More than 2.7 million residents 16 and older now have at least one vaccine dose; more than 2.4 million have completed their vaccinations as of Friday’s update. 

That works out to about 55.2 percent of the 16-and-older population completely vaccinated and 62.7 percent with at least one shot, including 89 percent of those 65 and older. 

The state’s now topped 5 million doses administered. Still the current vaccination pace is lagging, raising concerns that hundreds of thousands of Minnesota adults might not get vaccinated.

Minnesota was averaging 60,000 shots a day at one point in mid-April before it began dropping. It’s been running at less than 40,000 daily the past two weeks.

Thursday’s data showed what appeared to be a surge in vaccinations, with nearly 70,000 added. State officials, though, said the vaccine report held a one-time backlog of about 24,000 doses administered to 16-and-older Minnesotans by North Dakota providers since January. 

State public health leaders have been pleading with those still not vaccinated to get their shots. Eligible Minnesotans can now walk in for a COVID-19 vaccination without an appointment at the state’s 

Officials are not yet reporting vaccinations among newly eligible 12-to-15-year-olds, but they’ve reported more than 35,000 new vaccinations of people with “unknown” age. 

Most of these are probably 12-to-15-year-olds who aren’t being properly reported by the Health Department’s computer systems, designed in a world where the minimum age for COVID-19 vaccines was 16.

Correction (May 21, 2021): A previous version of this story misstated the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU. The story has been updated.

Fauci says he expects vaccines for younger children by the end of year or early 2022:

 He said Wednesday that children at least as young as 4 "would likely be able to get vaccinated by the time we reach the end of calendar year 2021 and at the latest, into the first quarter of 2022."

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 

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Minnesota’s data continues to show a pandemic in retreat. New cases, known active cases and new hospital admissions are all down from the April surge. Yet, the effort to get the vast majority of Minnesota adults vaccinated is sputtering.

A man in blue scrubs and a mask leans against a table

Paul Middlestaedt | MPR News

Graph projecting when most Minnesotans will get vaccinated

David H. Montgomery | MPR News

Active, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota

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

New COVID-19 related deaths reported in Minnesota each day

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

Newly reported COVID-19 vaccine doses in Minnesota

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Case counts falling; vaccination pace crawling

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