ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota will expand COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to all state residents 16 and older starting Tuesday, March 30, according to a press release from the Governor's Office.
Governor Tim Walz is expected to make the announcement on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
“Tomorrow, Governor Walz will announce that all Minnesotans 16 years of age and older will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination beginning Tuesday, March 30. The final eligibility expansion comes as the federal government has promised an increased supply of vaccine by April, and as Minnesota has become a national leader in getting shots into arms quickly. This week Minnesota was ranked number one in the country for the percentage of vaccine doses administered to Minnesotans. The state has vaccinated 80% of our seniors, outperforming the nation, and has also vaccinated at least two-thirds of our school and child care personnel,” according to the press release.
As of Tuesday, the most recent data reported by MDH, nearly 1.5 million Minnesotans had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. According to the state vaccine dashboard, 1,475,130 people have gotten at least one shot - that's 26.5% of the population. Of those, 878,469 people have had the whole vaccine series.
According to the department of health, 89 fully vaccinated Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19. However, officials say these so-called "breakthrough cases" shouldn't be alarming to people. Nearly 880,000 Minnesotans have received a COVID vaccine, making the number of fully vaccinated people who've been infected with the virus a fraction of a percent.
“We worked hard to vaccinate Minnesotans sooner than we originally projected, and we have made tremendous progress getting vaccines to Minnesotans who need them most. Now, it’s time to get as many Minnesotans vaccinated as quickly as possible to end this pandemic,” according to the press release.