Here is Minnesota's COVID-19 update for Monday, Jan. 25

Monday's COVID update from the Minnesota Department of Health includes three new deaths and 794 new cases.

The newly reported deaths bring the state's total to 6,098 over the course of the pandemic. Of those deaths, 63.5% (3,876) were residents of long-term care, including 1 of the 3 reported Monday.

Figures on Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be unusual compared to the rest of the week due to reporting lags over the weekend.

Meanwhile, through Jan. 22, the state reported that 266,985 people have received at least 1 dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, while 67,436 people have completed both doses of vaccine that are required for the vaccines' full effect.

The health department has launched a public dashboard to track vaccine distribution throughout Minnesota, and you can view it here.

The B.1.1.7. variant of coronavirus that was first discovered in the United Kingdom has been found in Minnesota, with health officials so far confirming five cases of the variant in the Twin Cities metro area, but none further have been announced since early January.

Hospitalizations

Hospitalization data has not yet been updated.

Through Jan. 21, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota was 543. Of those hospitalized, 104 were in intensive care, and 439 were receiving non-ICU treatment.

Statewide, there were 163 staffed ICU beds available.

During the November surge the state had fewer than 100 staffed ICU beds available. 

The number of available beds is dependent on the number of available staff, so the totals are constantly changing.

Testing and positivity rates

The 794 positive results in Monday's update were from a total of 21,382 completed tests, creating a daily test positivity rate of 3.71%.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Minnesota's test positivity rate over the past seven days is 4.55%, making it one of the lowest rates in the country.

The World Health Organization recommends that a percent positive rate (total positives divided by total completed tests) of below 5% for at least two weeks is necessary to safely reopen the economy.

That 5% threshold is based on total positives divided by total tests.Coronavirus in Minnesota by the numbers

• Total tests:  6,388,959 (up from 6,367,721)
• People tested: 3,214,445 (up from 3,206,509)
• Positive cases:  455,783 (up from 454,989)
• Deaths: 6,098 – 239 of which are "probable*" (up from 6,095)
• Patients no longer requiring isolation: 439,283 (up from 437,827)

* Probable deaths are patients who died after testing positive using the COVID-19 antigen test, which is thought to be less accurate than the more common PCR test.