No uptick in new COVID-19 cases Monday

Jun. 14—MANKATO — South-central Minnesota counties had zero newly reported COVID-19 cases in the state health department's Monday update.

New case counts had been extremely low in the region over the last two weeks, but Monday's lack of any uptick was a first in almost exactly a year.

The last non-holiday with zero newly reported cases in area counties was June 15, 2020, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Area counties also had no newly reported COVID-19 deaths. Minnesota had five more statewide, however, raising the state's pandemic death toll to 7,517.

Also statewide, more than 2.9 million residents 16 and older now have at least one vaccine dose. More than 2.7 million are completely vaccinated.

That works out to about 61.3% being completely vaccinated and 65.8% with at least one shot, including 90% of people 65 and older.

The vaccination pace, however, is tripping along now after free-falling from its April peak. It still looks like it will be late July before the state reaches 70% of adults with at least one shot.

Officials recently noted that more than 70% of the 16-and-older population in the Twin Cities metropolitan area had received at least one vaccine dose, but that the rate was below 60% in much of the rest of the state, creating a concerning urban-rural vaccination gap.

A total of 103,285 residents 16 and older are completely vaccinated in south-central Minnesota, equaling 55.2% of that population. About 58.5% of the 16-and-older population in the region has at least one dose, or 109,523 residents.

Only three of the nine area counties have at least 60% of residents 16 and older with at least one dose. Brown, Nicollet and Blue Earth counties are the three, with Watonwan County on track to join them next.

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