Minnesota reports 1,632 new COVID-19 cases, 5 more deaths Monday

Minnesota health officials reported 1,632 new cases of COVID-19 Monday and five more deaths. 

The state has now seen 124,439 COVID-19 cases and 2,239 deaths from the disease since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest Minnesota Department of Health data. 

Of the 1,632 newly reported cases, 1,616 were from polymerse chain reaction (PCR) tests and 16 were from antigen tests. 

There were 22,171 tests completed in the most recent 24-hour period—a positivity rate of 7.4%. The key metric—the 7-day rolling average positivity rate—is 5.8%, although it is a lagging indicator. 

Case growth has been steadily increasing in recent weeks. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said there has been a 9.6% growth in cases over the last seven days, compared to 8.4% at this time last week. 

There has been a 7.8% increase in testing, slightly down from a week ago. Case growth is now outpacing testing growth for the first time, according to Malcolm. 

Four of the five deaths reported Monday were in long-term care or assisted living facilities. To date, approximately 71% of deaths have been in those types of facilities. Only one of the five deaths was in the Twin Cities metro—a Ramsey County resident in their 60s.