Minnesota reports 5,801 new COVID-19 cases, 15 deaths as hospitalizations plateau

(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 5,801 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 additional deaths Monday. 

Minnesota has now seen 318,763 cases of COVID-19 and 3,593 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health. 

Gov. Tim Walz will provide an update on the state of the pandemic in Minnesota at a 2 p.m. news conference at the State Capitol. You can watch the news conference live on FOX 9 or at fox9.com/live. 

The 5,801 newly reported COVID-19 cases were out of 43,481 completed tests—a positivity rate of 13.3%. Health officials have said case numbers will likely drop over the next few days because fewer people got tested over the Thanksgiving holiday, but they expect the amount of holiday travel and family gatherings will eventually cause another surge in the coronavirus across the state.   

Four of the 15 deaths from COVID-19 reported Monday were in the seven-county Twin Cities metro. Five of the deaths were in long-term care or assisted living facilities. All of the deaths were among people 60 and older. 

ICU and non-ICU hospitalizations for COVID-19 have plateaued. There are currently 1,840 people hospitalized with the coronavirus in Minnesota, 392 of whom are in the ICU. Staffing and hospital capacity is getting tight, especially in the Twin Cities metro where 96.4% of the ICU beds are currently occupied.