Over 1,400 New COVID-19 Cases Reported Monday

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials on Monday reported five deaths from COVID-19, along with 1,470 infections, with a slight increase in infections among those who have been fully vaccinated.

More than 7,000 people vaccinated against the virus have been infected, but health officials said that the rate of infection is low amid the 3 million Minnesotans who are vaccinated, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. State officials will continue to encourage vaccinations as the best tool against the pandemic, with Gov. Tim Walz extending a $100 incentive program for new vaccine recipients for one more week.

“Although we are seeing a slightly greater proportion of breakthrough cases, the vaccines are continuing to do their job,” said state infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann.

Nearly all hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 now come from people who are not vaccinated, but Minnesota has reported 60 people who died of COVID-19 after being vaccinated. That is just 0.002% of people who have been vaccinated in the state.

The number of cases and hospitalizations is once again rising in Minnesota as the delta virus variant threatens a new wave of cases. About 55% of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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