Minnesota reports 82 COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, 3rd most in single day

(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 82 more deaths from COVID-19 Wednesday, the third most in a single day to date. 

Minnesota has now seen 4,109 deaths from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the latest state Department of Health data. The state has averaged 60 deaths a day for the past seven days. 

The highest number of COVID-19 deaths reported in a single day was 101, reported on Nov. 27. 

Of the 82 deaths reported on Wednesday, only 20 were in the Twin Cities metro. The majority of the deaths were in Greater Minnesota. 

Two of the people who died were in their 40s, while the rest were 60 or older. 

Fifty-one of the 82 deaths were in long-term care or assisted living facilities. To date, approximately 71% of the people who have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota were residents of those types of facilities. 

MDH also reported 4,539 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases the state has seen during the pandemic so far to 363,719. Of those, 43,486 are active cases that require isolation. 

The 4,539 newly reported cases were out of 39,591 completed tests—a positivity rate of 11.5%. 

The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 decreased from 1,604 to 1,545. Of those patients, 358 are in the ICU.