MinnPost provides updates on coronavirus in Minnesota Sunday through Friday. The information is published following a press phone call with members of the Walz administration or after the release of daily COVID-19 figures by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Here are the latest updates from June 23, 2021:

604,758 cases; 7,555 deaths

Five more Minnesotans have died of COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health said Wednesday, for a total of 7,555.

Of the people whose deaths were announced Wednesday, two were in their 90s, one was in their 70s, one was in their 60s and one was in their 50s. Two of the five people whose deaths were announced Wednesday were residents of long-term care facilities.

The state has reported 129 deaths so far in June. The state is on pace to report its second-fewest deaths in any month of the pandemic, not counting March when COVID-19 was just emerging. 

MDH also said Wednesday there have been 604,758 total cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. That number is up 71 from the total announced on Tuesday and is based on 9,162 new tests. The seven-day case positivity rate, which lags by a week, is 1.3 percent. That’s far below a 5-percent threshold state officials consider a concerning sign of disease spread.

As of Monday, the most recent data available, 3,032,262 Minnesotans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s up 2,923 from the day prior and roughly 54.5 percent of the state population. About 66.4 percent of Minnesotans age 16 and older have at least one dose.

MDH says 2,835,126 Minnesotans, about 51 percent of the population, have completed a vaccine series. That’s up 4,269 from the day prior. About 62.6 percent of the population age 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

The most recent data available show 31 Minnesotans are hospitalized in intensive care with COVID-19, and 82 are in the hospital with COVID-19 not in intensive care. That’s down from 56 people in the ICU the week prior and 95 hospitalized outside of intensive care. You can find more information about Minnesota’s current ICU usage and capacity here.

More information on cases can be found here.

Today on MinnPost

• Do people vaccinated against COVID-19 ever need to wear masks?
• With deals on education budget and money for frontline workers, Legislature closes in on finishing budget.
• Your guide to outdoor summer music in the cities.
• Asking yourself how long it’s been since this all started? Us too.
• As always, a look at the numbers on the MinnPost COVID-19 dashboard.

Around the web

• As the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, Missouri is becoming a cautionary tale for the rest of the country, reports the Associated Press.

MDH’s coronavirus website: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html

MDH’s phone line for COVID-19 questions, Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m: 651-297-1304