Minnesota reports 5,371 new COVID-19 cases, 61 deaths Friday as hospitalizations decline
(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 5,371 new cases of COVID-19 and 61 additional deaths Friday.
Minnesota has now seen 338,973 cases of COVID-19 and 3,845 deaths since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest state Department of Health data. There are 45,822 active cases of the coronavirus in the state.
The 5,371 newly reported cases are out of 60,544 completed tests—a positivity rate of 8.9%. This is the first time in five days the state has seen a daily positivity rate under 10%.
Lab techs grapple with supply, staffing shortages amid increased COVID-19 testing
As COVID-19 numbers continue to surge, some of the critical people within the health care system are lab technicians.
Twenty of the 61 new deaths from COVID-19 reported on Friday were in the Twin Cities metro area. The deaths included one Martin County resident in their late 40s. The remainder of the deaths were among people 60 or older.
Of the 61 deaths, 31 were in long-term care or assisted living facilities. To date, approximately 71% of the state’s deaths have been in those types of facilities.
Gov. Tim Walz will give a live address at 2 p.m. Friday about the increasing concern for long-term care residents amid the pandemic. He will be joined by Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Adjunct General of the Minnesota National Guard Major General Shawn Menke and long-term care providers. FOX 9 will carry the governor’s speech live on air and streaming online at fox9.com/live.
The number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 have been steadily decreasing over the last week. MDH data shows there are currently 1,679 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota, 367 of whom are in the ICU.