Olmsted County COVID Testing Positivity Rate Falls Below 5%

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An important indicator for measuring COVID-19 activity has passed a key threshold in the Rochester area.

Olmsted County Public Health today reported that, for the first time in months, the seven-day rolling average for the county's testing positivity rate has dropped below 5 percent. The 4.7 percent rate was down a little over a half a percentage point from last week.

The drop in the testing positivity rate was reported the same day state health officials reported the county's 90th coronavirus-related death. The death of the Olmsted County resident, who was in their late 80s, was among the 13 COVID deaths reported statewide today.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 813 new COVID-19 cases, including 14 new infections in Olmsted County. The statewide daily testing positivity rate was about 2.4 percent.

The number of Minnesotans who have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine has risen above 975,000 and over 516,000 people in the state are now fully vaccinated. 30 percent of Olmsted County residents are now at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19. The number of Rochester area residents who have had at least one shot of the vaccine is now close to 46,000 and over 32,000 Olmsted County residents have had both shots.

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Major Milestones From Beginning of COVID-19 Pandemic in Olmsted County, Minnesota

News and information about the virus were slowly making their way through Minnesota and the Rochester area during late February 2020. Mayo Clinic became aware of the virus in January because of a partnership it had with a Chinese firm. This gave Mayo a head start in developing its own test for the virus which it knew would be needed for its patients.

Scroll through the gallery to see the significant milestones from the first two months of the pandemic in Olmsted County, Minnesota.