Minnesota reports 813 new COVID-19 cases, 8 more deaths Sunday

(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 813 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths Sunday.

The state has now seen a total of 484,594 cases and 6,483 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Of the newly reported deaths, four people were residents in longterm care facilities. One of the deaths was a person in Hennepin County age 30-34. The other deaths ranged in age from 55-99. The 813 new cases are out of 29,143 tests, a 2.7% positivity rate. Anything over 5% is a concern for health officials.

Meanwhile, Minnesota set a new record for COVID-19 vaccinations with about 70,000 new doses reported. So far, about 878,346 Minnesotans have received at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 452,000 are fully vaccinated.

Over 45% of Minnesota seniors have gotten at least their first dose of the vaccine. That is a closely watched figure as Gov. Tim Walz has said he will expand vaccine eligibility to more groups once 70% of seniors have one dose. 

Minnesota releases updated vaccine eligibility timeline

On Thursday, Walz put forward an updated vaccine eligibility timeline, which categories people into five tiers extending into early summer. However, the state’s timeline may end up being much faster than Walz’s estimate if the number of doses from Pfizer and Moderna increase as the companies are promising and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. 

An updated timeline from the state of Minnesota on when people can expect to get their COVID-19 vaccine. (FOX 9)

Minnesotans are encouraged to sign up on the state’s Vaccine Connector website to be notified when they are eligible for a vaccine.