MN COVID Cases Hit New High But Positivity Rate Dips Slightly
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - For a second straight day, Minnesota health officials reported a new record for the number of new COVID-19 cases.
The Minnesota Department of Health's daily pandemic update on Friday listed 3165 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 infections. That included 46 new cases found in Olmsted County, which is believed to be the second-highest single-day total for the county since the beginning of the pandemic.
The number of people in Minnesota hospitalized due to COVID-19 is also at a new high point. The state health department on Friday reported a total of 738 people are hospitalized as a result of the new viral illness and a record high 176 of those patients are being treated in intensive care units. That leaves just over 400 ICU beds available statewide.
While the number of new cases hit a new record the positivity rate from the approximately 32,800 tests completed on Thursday was down slightly. After climbing into the double digits for several straight days, the positivity rate reported on Friday was about 9.6-percent.
The daily pandemic update also included 18 additional coronavirus related deaths throughout Minnesota. One of them involved a Houston County resident in their late 80s. It was the second COVID-19 death reported in that county.
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