Good morning, Minnesota! The overnight wintry mix may linger in parts of Minnesota today. Some flurries and light freezing rain are possible in western and southern Minnesota. Dense, freezing fog across the state will also make the morning commute difficult. Highs will be in the lower 30s today. Get the latest on the Updraft weather blog. At 2 p.m. this afternoon, Gov. Tim Walz is set to announce the next phase of Minnesota's COVID-19 restrictions. The governor is expected to lay out lighter restrictions on indoor dining, according to a Walz spokesperson. His current order, including a ban on indoor, sit-down service at bars and restaurants, run through Sunday night. We'll carry Walz's televised announcement live on the radio, online and Facebook live today. Watch or listen live on MPR News. The expected rollback of restrictions comes as COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to ebb across the state . Minnesota on Monday reported 18 additional COVID-19 deaths, making it the second straight day with a toll fewer than 20. While the new case count decreased significantly in recent days, the positivity rate showed a mild uptick, with a seven-day rolling average at just under 6 percent as of Tuesday. In the meantime, COVID-19 vaccinations continue to lag in Minnesota with only a fraction of available shots going into arms. The state reported only 2,455 new vaccinations distributed on Tuesday, putting the total at 80,857, and keeping vaccinations well behind the number of doses available across the state.
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:5,461 deaths (18 newly reported)425,261 positive cases (1,612 newly reported), 406,667 off isolation (96 percent)5.7 million tests, 3 million people tested (about 61 percent of the population) 5.9 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent concerning)In one of Georgia's Senate runoffs, Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, the AP projects. In the second race, Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff is taking a slight lead over Republican Sen. David Perdue but the race remains too close to call as of this morning. Warnock's projected win puts the Democratic Party a step closer to holding the majority in the upper chamber. Follow live results of the Senate races here on MPR News. Also today, Congress is tallying Electoral College votes, confirming, once again, Joe Biden as the president-elect. A group of Republicans, a dozen senators and as many as 100 House Republicans, already said they are planning to raise objections to the results. Watch the proceedings live here starting at noon.
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