Minnesota reports daily record 101 COVID-19 deaths
(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials are reporting 101 new COVID-19 deaths, breaking the previous daily record of 72 deaths.
Minnesota has now seen 3,476 deaths from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health.
"This is a sad development, but it is not a surprising development," Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said. "For weeks we have been sounding the alarm about the dramatic growth in COVID-19 cases. We know that more cases leads to more hospitalizations and deaths, and today’s news reinforces that tragic pattern."
The data released Friday covers a 24-hour period that ended at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The data is being reported on Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The data covering Thursday and Friday will be released on Saturday, according to MDH.
Of the 101 newly reported deaths, 27 were in the Twin Cities metro while the other 74 were in Greater Minnesota.
The deaths included one Hennepin County resident in their late 20s and five people in their 50s. People 60 or older made up the remainder of the deaths.
Sixty-four of the deaths were in long-term care or assisted living facilities, one was in a group home or residential behavioral facility and one was in a jail or a prison.
The record number of deaths comes as state officials warned Minnesotans not to gather with people outside their immediate household for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“This Thanksgiving, many Minnesotans set their holiday table smaller than they normally do. Many chose to do so to protect their family from the spread of COVID-19. But for the more than 3,000 families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, it wasn’t a choice. Those chairs will always remain empty," said Gov. Tim Walz in a statement. “As we hit this somber milestone, we owe those families a promise. We must promise them that their loved ones did not die in vain. We must honor them by fighting this virus at every turn. We must redouble our efforts to protect one another.”
MDH also reported 5,704 new cases of COVID-19 out of 55,853 completed tests—a positivity rate of 10.2%. There have now been 295,001 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Minnesota to date and more than 4 million tests administered.
Minnesota currently has over 50,000 active cases of COVID-19. Around 83% of the people who have tested positive for Minnesota have recovered to the point where they no longer need to be isolated.