Minnesota COVID-19 test positivity rate continues to fall as vaccinations increase

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - As COVID-19 vaccinations increase in Minnesota, the positivity rate continues to decline, according to the latest data released by state health department. 

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 257 new cases of COVID-19 and eight more deaths Friday. The state has now seen daily case counts under 300 for five of the last seven days. 

The 257 newly reported cases were out of 22,215 tests, a 1.1% positivity rate, the MDH data shows. Minnesota’s seven-day average test positivity rate, a lagging indicator, has now fallen to 3% from its spring peak of 7.4% in early April. Anything over 5% is a concern for MDH because it indicates a high rate of community transmission.

Seven of the eight deaths reported Friday were from private residences, with only one being from a long-term care facility. Three of the newly reported deaths were in the seven-county Twin Cities metro. Two of the people who died were under the age of 65. 

There are currently 252 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Minnesota, 66 of whom are in the ICU. 

Meanwhile, over 2.9 million Minnesotans over the age of 12 have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 2.6 million are fully vaccinated, which is 62.6% and 55.8% of the state’s 12 and older population, MDH data shows.