Decrease in Positive MN COVID-19 Cases, Walz Announces Details for COVID-19 Vaccines

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 3,570 new COVID-19 cases today along with 22 newly reported deaths.

Three of the deaths came from residents in the Lakeland viewing area:

• Two in Hubbard County, one aged 75-79 and another aged 85-89
• One in Polk County of someone aged 90-94

The new cases came from a total of 22,757 tests for a case positivity rate of 15.7%.

In addition, Gov. Tim Walz said Monday that his administration plans to release details next week on when Minnesota will start getting its first doses of coronavirus vaccines and who will be the first to get them.

Walz made the comments in a briefing for reporters following a conference call with several other governors; Vice President Mike Pence; Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious-diseases expert; and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on the status of the country’s plans for distributing the vaccines.

Details are still being worked out on the federal level about who gets priority such as senior citizens, health care workers, and what the distribution plan will look like.

In the Lakeland viewing area, the state reported new cases in the following counties:

• Aitkin – 13
• Beltrami – 40
• Cass – 21
• Clearwater – 7
• Crow Wing – 64
• Hubbard – 14
• Itasca – 34
• Koochiching – 6
• Lake of the Woods- 1
• Mahnomen – 3
• Mille Lacs – 14
• Morrison – 40
• Polk – 25
• Roseau – 4
• Todd – 28
• Wadena – 16