MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota has now provided more than 1 million doses of vaccine to fight the virus that causes COVID-19, Gov. Tim Walz announced Friday, even as weather-related delays are prompting some vaccine providers to cancel appointments.
Also on Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health reported eight more deaths linked to COVID-19 and 1,001 new coronavirus infections.
About 728,000 people have received at least one dose thus far, while 286,543 people have completed the two-dose series, the governor's office said in a news release. It reported the total doses administered statewide at 1,016,210.
"This is a milestone day," Walz said in a statement. "Minnesotans have received 1 million doses of these safe, effective, live-saving vaccines."
The latest figures on deaths and cases continue a recent trend in Minnesota where seven-day rolling averages have fallen substantially from peaks in November and December to levels seen across the state in September, according to the Star Tribune's coronavirus tracker.
State officials say that severe winter weather in other parts of the country has delayed at least part of this week's COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped by the federal government to Minnesota. As a result, the state postponed appointments at two community vaccination locations Thursday and six locations Friday.
Vaccine hunters took to social media Thursday evening to report canceled appointments at pharmacies in the Twin Cities metro and greater Minnesota.
South Dakota-based Sanford Health, which operates hospitals and clinics in western Minnesota, said Thursday that it's seen a delay in vaccine shipments. "All patients who had one of these appointments was contacted and rescheduled, and they will remain eligible to receive their vaccine," a spokeswoman said in an e-mail to the Star Tribune.
The vaccine rollout has been choppy in Minnesota. With limited supplies available, some senior citizens with priority for receiving vaccine have voiced frustrations over their inability to schedule shots.
On Thursday, the state Minnesota debuted an online tool that will notify people when they are eligible for vaccine while providing seniors immediate access to a lottery for appointments at state-operated sites.
State officials said Friday morning that more than 270,000 people had singed up for notifications through the state service — up from more than 175,000 people by 5 p.m. Thursday.
The seven-day rolling average for vaccines administered now stands at about 29,705 shots per day, according to Friday's announcement from the Walz administration. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Minnesota No. 24 among all states in terms of doses administered per 100,000 population.
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(Star Tribune staff writer Jeremy Olson contributed to this report.)
