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Minnesota health officials report 14 more COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, highest number in a week

Updated  August 26, 2020 11:59am CDT
Coronavirus in Minnesota
FOX 9

(FOX 9) - Fourteen more people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota and more than 500 new cases have been confirmed across the state, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Wednesday.

The latest numbers mark the highest single day death count in a week, when the state reported 17 deaths on Aug. 19. Two of the most recent deaths were patients in their 30s.

The state has now seen 71,236 cases of COVID-19 and 1,793 deaths. Approximately 90 percent of Minnesota’s coronavirus cases no longer require isolation. 

There were 542 positive COVID-19 cases out of 10,614 completed tests, a positivity rate of 5.1%.

Nine of the 14 COVID-19 deaths were residents of a long-term care facility. To date, approximately 74 percent of Minnesota's COVID-19 deaths have been patients that resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities. 

There are currently 304 people hospitalized with COVID-19, with 134 in the ICU. Approximately 9 percent of Minnesota's COVID-19 cases have required hospitalization. This is the lowest number of patients in the ICU since July 27.

Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday Minnesota has partnered with Vault Health, the nation's leading distributor of saliva testing, to build a new COVID-19 saliva testing lab in the state. The lab would more than double the state's testing capacity, which currently hovers between 20,000 and 22,000 tests per day. The lab is expected to be up and running by early October. 

Minnesota to get new COVID-19 saliva testing lab that will double state’s testing capacity

The nation’s leading distributor of COVID-19 saliva testing is planning to establish a new saliva testing lab in Minnesota that will more than double the state’s current test processing capacity, Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday. 

All 87 Minnesota counties have now seen at least three cases of COVID-19.

LIVE MAP: A county-by-county breakdown of Minnesota's COVID-19 cases

Data released Tuesday shows the 20-24-year-old age range has the highest percentage of COVID-19 cases with approximately 13 percent, followed by the 25-29-year-old age range has with 10 percent and the 30-34-year-old age range with 9 percent.