Minnesota COVID Deaths and Hospitalization Hit New Record Highs
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - A day after Governor Tim Walz announced new COVID pandemic restrictions, the Minnesota Department of Health is reporting a new high mark for the grimmest of the pandemic statistics.
The daily coronavirus related death toll reported today was 56. The state's previous record for COVID-19 deaths reported in a single day was 36 which occurred just last Thursday. Hospitalizations due to the new illness also rose to another record high Tuesday. The overall total is just one shy of 1300 with 282 of the patients in intensive care.
The state health department also reported 4900 new confirmed and probable infections statewide including 49 new cases in Olmsted County. A delay in reporting testing data has made it impossible to calculate the statewide daily positivity rate.
Olmsted County Public Health is reporting a new record for weekly cases, average daily cases, and the average number of hospitalizations per day. A preliminary total of the new cases identified last week put the number at 534, which is 90 above the record set the previous week. The weekly report also notes the increasing demand for testing has created a backlog in cases and the final count could be even higher. The average number of new cases reported daily last week was a record high 76 and the average number of Olmsted County residents hospitalized due to COVID-19 rose to a record high of 21.1
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