Minnesota Reports 761 New COVID-19 Cases, 9 More Deaths Wednesday

(FOX 9) – Minnesota health officials reported 761 new COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths Wednesday.

The state has now seen 480,845 cases and 6,443 deaths since the start of the pandemic. So far, 4,040 of those deaths have been residents in long-term care facilities.

The nine newly reported deaths were people ranging from age 60 to 94. Two were residents in long-term care facilities.

Wednesday also marked the second straight day where ICU cases and hospitalizations have gone up. There are currently 59 cases in the ICU, and hospitalizations are up to 233.

Meanwhile, according to health officials, just over 42 percent of Minnesota seniors have had at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of Wednesday, 770,021 Minnesotans have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, though state data lags by approximately three days.

Gov. Tim Walz says he will announce within days the next priority groups to get the COVID-19 vaccine, without waiting until senior citizens are fully vaccinated. Walz said administration officials are debating whether to make the move once 60 percent of seniors are vaccinated, or 70 percent, or 80 percent.

The 761 new cases were out of 19,822 tests, a 3.8 percent positivity rate. MDH says that anything over 5 percent is a concern.

On Wednesday, U.S. regulators announced that Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine protects against COVID-19.