Coronavirus In Minnesota: MDH Reports 4,647 New COVID Cases And 34 Deaths

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota health officials have reported an additional 4,647 COVID-19 cases and 34 deaths on Saturday, after a week that has seen soaring case counts and multiple record-breaking days.

As officials caution Minnesotans to stay vigilant of the virus, they also encourage them to get tested. In the past 24 hours, the state has processed 44,738 COVID-19 tests. Free saliva testing sites and community testing sites have opened up in the state.

The death toll has now reached 2,625, with the vast majority of the victims patients in long-term care.

According to state health data, there are over 1,000 people in Minnesota hospitals as of Nov. 5, with roughly 20% of them recovering in the ICU. On Friday, Health Partners said it is rescheduling elective procedures and surgeries and transferring care to other locations across its system to meet patient needs, while allowing for as many free ICU beds as possible.

Since the pandemic hit Minnesota in March, over 174,954 people have tested positive for the virus, though 142,800 of those people no longer need to self-isolate. Officials have said that in the recent weeks, the virus is spreading via young people going out to bars and gathering in small groups.

According to the state’s Dial Back Dashboard, Minnesota’s positivity rate is at 10% as of Oct. 28, doubling what it was at the start of October. If the positivity rate continues to climb, state officials say they might reinstate COVID-19 restrictions. What those would be is yet unknown.