Minnesota reports more than 9,000 new COVID-19 cases, 45 deaths

Minnesota health officials are reporting 9,040 new COVID-19 cases and 45 more deaths Saturday. 

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Saturday's data covers Thursday and Friday.

Minnesota has now seen 3,521 deaths from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health. The state has seen 304,023 total cases.

Of the 45 newly reported deaths, 23 people lived in long-term living facilities.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 16,423 people have been hospitalized statewide, with 3,715 involving the ICU.

"This is a sad development, but it is not a surprising development," Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Friday after the state reported a record 101 deaths. "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 was reported on Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

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.