(KNSI) – The Minnesota Department of Health reports 1,011 new COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths on Thursday. The death count includes one person from Sherburne County in their 70s and one person from Stearns County in their 60s.
The five-county area adds 143 new COVID cases: Benton County 11, Morrison County six, Sherburne County 45, Stearns County 41 and Wright County 40.
The state processed more than 34,000 COVID tests on Wednesday and only 2.9 percent came back positive, one of the lowest test positivity rates the state has seen since before its springtime case spike.
Thursdays’ vaccination data shows that more than half of Minnesotans age 16 and older are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19:
- People with at least one vaccine dose: 2,685,779 (60.9 percent of Minnesotans 16+)
- People with completed vaccine series: 2,228,982 (50.5 percent of Minnesotans 16+)
Among Minnesotans 65 and older, 88 percent are now vaccinated.







