Stearns County Resident Among 21 New COVID-19 Deaths in Minnesota Friday

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(KNSI) – The state of Minnesota sees its second day with a COVID-19 test positivity rate under 4 percent.

The Minnesota Department of Health confirms 1,525 new COVID-19 cases statewide out of 42,680 tests processed the day prior. 3.6 percent of those tests were positive. In the last full week of data, MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the state had a seven-day average test positivity rate of 5.1 percent — a hair above the 5-percent caution threshold for COVID-19 spread.

In the St. Cloud area, there are 105 new cases.

Benton County: 7
Morrison County: 6
Sherburne County 17
Stearns County: 38
Wright County: 37

There are also 21 new deaths from COVID-19 in the state, including one Stearns County resident in their 60s.

As of Tuesday, 263,654 people in Minnesota have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That represents 3.9 percent of the state’s population.

The MDH’s latest data shows roughly 214,000 Minnesotans who have had just their first dose and almost 50,000 more who have finished the two-dose vaccine series. As phase 1A vaccinations continue for healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff, about half of the shots given so far have been administered in a hospital setting.

In the five-county area, 12,860 people have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine dose.