Cooler but still well above normal this week

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Minnesota’s most recent COVID-19 data continues to paint a picture of a receding pandemic.  New and active cases and hospital admissions are trending at or below their April 2020 lows.

And the average daily case count over the past week has now dropped below 100.

The one frustration at this point? The vaccination pace remains at a crawl. 

As of Sunday’s update the state continued to average fewer than 4,000 COVID first vaccinations a day over the past week — the lowest level seen since the earliest weeks of the vaccination effort. At the current pace, it will be mid-August before the state reaches its goal of getting at least one shot into 70 percent of residents 16 and older. Wide gaps remain between age groups and regions.

Public health officials are keeping watch now for upticks in cases, six weeks after Minnesota 

ended all statewide COVID-19 capacity limits

 on bars, restaurants and other public gathering spaces. 

So far there’s no evidence of the end of those restrictions generating more viral spread. 

Analysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota

How to get a COVID-19 shot in Minnesota

COVID-19 in Minnesota

Pandemic metrics hover near April 2020 lows

Known, active COVID-19 cases in Minnesota dropped to 845 in Sunday’s data, staying below 1,000 for the seventh consecutive reporting day. It’s part of a stunning drop since May 1, when Minnesota had more than 15,000 active cases.

The state is averaging around 99 newly reported cases a day over the past week — including 101 new cases reported Sunday. Both newly reported and active caseloads are hovering around lows reaching back to April 2020.

Receding caseloads mean fewer hospitalizations. As of Friday the Health Department reported 107 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota; 27 needed an intensive care unit bed. ICU admissions are at their lowest since March 2020. 

Four newly reported deaths on Sunday pushed Minnesota’s pandemic toll to 7,582. Among those who have died, about 59 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.

The state has recorded 605,137 total confirmed or probable cases so far in the pandemic, including the 101 posted Sunday.

About 99 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. 

Case counts had crept up across the state during April 2021 following a massive spike in late November and early December. Now, though, the numbers are low and falling in every age group and region.

People in their 20s still make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — about 112,000 since the pandemic began. 

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.

About teenagers and the COVID-19 vaccine in MN

Unvaccinated kids and updated mask guidance

More than 2.9 million residents 16 and older now have at least one vaccine dose. More than 2.7 million are completely vaccinated. That’s about 63 percent completely vaccinated and close to 67 percent with at least one shot, including 90 percent of people 65 and older. 

Add in the more than 104,000 12-to-15-year-olds with at least one dose and Minnesota has topped 3 million residents with one or more shots. More than half the state’s total population is now completely vaccinated.

The vaccination pace, however, is sputtering. At the current rate, it will be mid-August before the state reaches 70 percent of adults with at least one shot, a goal public health leaders once hoped could be reached by the end of June.

, with most counties outside the Twin Cities region still below 70 percent of adults vaccinated. 

As cases decline, 3 COVID-19 testing sites are closing:

 Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all abating, and so is demand for COVID-19 testing. State officials are shuttering three Twin Cities COVID-19 testing sites as a result.

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 

Tracking the vaccination progress in the U.S.

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Minnesota’s average daily COVID-19 case count over the past week has now dropped below 100 — the lowest level seen since the earliest weeks of the pandemic. But the vaccination pace remains at a crawl. 

A paper sign taped to a wall says "2 shots + 2 weeks = fully vaccinated."

Dan Kraker | MPR News file

Graph showing total COVID-19 vaccinations by age

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

Graph showing when Minnesota is on target to vaccinated 70% of adults

Map of Minnesota COVID-19 eligible vaccination rate

June 27 update on COVID-19 in MN: Average daily case count drops below 100

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