Minnesota's COVID 'Reinfection Rates' Released For 1st Time

ACROSS MINNESOTA — More than 8,000 Minnesotans have contracted COVID-19 more than once since the pandemic began, according to data released by the state's Department of Health for the first time this week.

The new data indicates that contracting and recovering COVID-19 once doesn't mean you have guaranteed protection from it in the future.

Someone is counted as having a reinfection case if they test positive for COVID-19 more than 90 days after a previous lab-confirmed case.

Here is the latest data released by the Department of Health:

• Total positive cases since the pandemic started, including reinfections: 797,984
• Total positive people: 789,800
• Total number of reinfections: 8,184

The data doesn't make a distinction if the person was vaccinated or not.

Though the vaccine has proven to be effective, over 57,000 breakthrough cases have been reported in Minnesota. Most cases did not require hospitalization.

3,209,369 fully vaccinated people

• Total breakthough cases: 57,023 (1.777%)
• Total breakthrough cases hospitalized: 2,609 (0.081%)
• Total breakthrough deaths: 372 (0.012%)