ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on March 4.
- Mask requirement lifted in Hennepin County buildings
- 18 new COVID-19 deaths reported Monday
- FDA adds another at-home COVID test to "do not use" list
- CDC eases masks guidelines
Monday, March 7
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 18 new coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, bringing the statewide death toll from the pandemic to 12,201. Of those deaths, 5,592 were reported in assisted living or long-term care facilities.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are continuing to decrease. As of MDH's latest published data, 361 people in the state are hospitalized in non-ICU beds and another 57 people are in the ICU with COVID.
Since the vaccine rollout began, MDH's latest data reports that a total of 9,439,267 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the state. Nearly 75% of eligible Minnesotans over the age of five have received the vaccine, with 3,881,524 people receiving at least one vaccine dose (74.5%). Of those, 3,665,153 have been fully vaccinated (70.3%).
The vaccination rate in children ages 5 through 11 is still much further behind than the statewide total. So far, 205,495 children ages five through 11 have received at least one dose (40%) and 183,186 have been fully vaccinated (36%).
On Monday, MDH reported 908 new COVID-19 cases, however health officials note that the number of new cases does not accurately paint the full picture of the statistics, because at-home tests are not accounted for in MDH's data.
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