Minnesota COVID-19 positivity rate hits vaccine-era high

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota’s COVID-19 test positivity rate has soared to 8.3%, the highest mark since the vaccines first rolled out late last year.

The seven-day rolling average for the state’s positivity rate continues to climb toward the high risk category. The state draws that line at 10%.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota reached 960 as of Monday and included 254 people needing intensive care. It was the highest level of hospitalizations the state has recorded since giving its first shots in mid-December.

Minnesota’s rate of new infections for the past seven days is the seventh-worst among U.S. states. The most new infections continue to be among school-age children.