Let’s do some math:

Given the current case rate of ~1,000 cases a day, ~1.6% of Minnesota’s population has tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of 2024 [(1,000 cases per day X 90 days) / 5.66 million people)]

862,955 have completed the vaccine series in Minnesota as of March 24**. Using the 1.6% rate, we would expect 13,800 of those individuals to have tested positive for COVID-19 had they not been vaccinated.

Thus far, we have only 89 reports of COVID-19 in fully vaccinated individuals – both asymptomatic and symptomatic. That means people who received the vaccine were 99.4% [(1- (89/13,800)] less likely to test positive for COVID-19.

**Because it takes at least two weeks after any series to achieve full immunity, some of the 862,955 people who completed the series are not considered fully vaccinated. Even if we assume ~800,000 as being fully vaccinated as the Start Tribune reports, the results do not change significantly. The vaccines are extremely effective.

Bottom line: This news is not worrisome but actually reassuring. The vaccines are proving very effective.

Sources

MDH
Star Tribune
MN Covid Vaccine Dashboard

New: March 25, 2024