Minnesota reports highest non-ICU hospitalizations for COVID-19 since Sept. 2

(FOX 9) - After remaining steady for all of September, non-ICU hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Minnesota spiked from 127 to 154 Tuesday—the highest that number has been since Sept. 2, according to the latest data from the state health department. 

The Minnesota Department of Health reported there are currently 290 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 136 of whom are in the ICU and 154 who are hospitalized, but not in the ICU. 

State health officials also reported 513 new positive cases out of 9,415 completed tests Tuesday—a positivity rate of 5.5%.

The state’s positivity rate to date is 4.9%, but the key 7-day rolling average is 4.4% as of Sept. 12, although Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Monday that several regions of the state continue to have positivity rates of over 5%. Anything over 5% is a concern for MDH as it suggests a higher rate of community transmission. 

Ten more people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota, five of whom were in long-term care or assisted living facilities. Of the 10 deaths reported Tuesday, one was in Hennepin County and the rest were in rural Minnesota. 

Minnesota has now seen a total of 91,422 cases of COVID-19 and 1,979 deaths to date. 

On Tuesday, the U.S. surpassed 200,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to data Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. now leads the world in COVID-19 deaths.