More than 800,000 Minnesotans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials reported Friday.
Officially, the number of first doses administered is 804,716, with half of them having received the recommended second dose. Combined, more than 1.2 million shots have been administered since the coronavirus vaccines arrived shortly before Christmas.
State health officials also reported another 1,156 confirmed COVID-19 cases along with 12 additional deaths.
Since the pandemic began in Minnesota one year ago, 482,978 have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes the disease and 6,462 have died from coronavirus complications.
Five of the deaths announced Friday were among long-term care residents, bringing the pandemic total to 4,046.
As more residents in long-term care facilities get their first or second COVID-19 vaccine shots, case growth among residents and staff has slowed significantly.
Over the past week, there were just 24 new coronavirus infections detected in residents of nursing homes or assisted-living facilities, with eight additional cases among workers.
The number of facilities with active outbreaks fell by 52 over the past week, with 206 senior homes reporting at least one active case. During that time, 21 residents died in the week that ended Thursday.
