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Minnesota’s newest COVID-19 data shows caseloads edging higher but with no signs of the kind of surge the state saw in mid-April. New daily cases are up, but key metrics continue to hover at relatively low levels.

Officials do remain concerned about the growth of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant among the state’s unvaccinated population. Cases are up among Black Minnesotans, who have a much lower vaccination rate compared to whites or Minnesotans of Asian descent. 

Conditions, though, remain significantly better overall compared to mid-April’s surge.

More Minnesotans are vaccinated now — including 9 in 10 residents 65 and older — and the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive averaged about 1.5 percent over the past reporting week, far lower than the 5 percent officials find concerning.

Analysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota

How to get a COVID-19 shot in Minnesota

COVID-19 in Minnesota

Numbers edge up but still near pandemic lows

Known, active COVID-19 cases in Minnesota came in at 1,462 in Friday’s report. While that count has ticked up recently it is down dramatically since May 1, when Minnesota had more than 15,000 active cases.

Ninety-one patients are in Minnesota hospital beds with COVID-19, with 19 in intensive care. Those counts have stayed relatively steady the past few weeks. 

Given the recent uptick in caseloads, it’s possible that may rise. Still, the current count of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has been hovering near its lowest levels in the pandemic.

Three newly reported deaths on Friday raised Minnesota’s pandemic toll to 7,635. Among those who have died, about 59 percent had been living in long-term care or assisted living facilities; most had underlying health problems.

Minnesota’s reported about three deaths daily over the past week, keeping those numbers down near pandemic lows.

The state’s recorded 607,524 total confirmed or probable cases in the pandemic, including the 249 posted Friday. Roughly 99 percent of Minnesotans known to be infected with COVID-19 have recovered to the point where they no longer need to isolate. 

Regionally, caseloads are up in the southeast and in east-central Minnesota, as well as the Twin Cities area. Conditions, though, remain far better than during the mid-April wave and the huge late fall surge.

People in their 20s make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases — more than 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

About 3 million residents 16 and older now have at least one vaccine dose. 

More than 2.8 million are completely vaccinated. That’s about 64.8 percent of the state’s 16-and-older population completely vaccinated and 67.8 percent with at least one shot, including 91 percent of people 65 and older. 

Add in more than 114,000 12-to-15-year-olds with at least one dose and Minnesota has topped 3.1 million residents with one or more shots. About 53 percent of the state’s total population is now completely vaccinated. 

While Minnesota’s vaccination rate recently showed an uptick, the pace has fallen dramatically since peaking in April and continues to stumble ahead.

At the current pace, it appears it will be late August or early September before Minnesota has 70 percent of residents 16 and older with at least one vaccine dose — a target officials once hoped to reach by July 1.

The vaccination pace is lagging among Minnesota’s Latino, Black and Indigenous populations.

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

 With the pandemic largely in check, we’ll be ending our daily "Latest on COVID-19 in MN" story on Saturday. In its place, we'll write a weekly summary story that we'll post on Fridays. You'll still be able to find updated graphics and data on our 

. And you can count on us to continue covering the pandemic.

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 seeing COVID-19 case counts edge higher, although there are no signs to suggest the state is headed for another surge like it saw in mid-April. Some worries still linger, though.

Paul Middlestaedt for MPR News File

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 total COVID-19 vaccinations by age

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

Map of Minnesota COVID-19 eligible vaccination rate

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: New cases rise; deaths, hospital needs stay low

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