Coronavirus In Minnesota: COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 200; Positive Cases Near 3,000
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota health officials announced another single-day high for both new COVID-19 cases and additional deaths related to the virus Thursday.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 21 more people died of COVID-19, which brings the state's death toll to 200. There are now also 2,942 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.
Currently, 268 people in Minnesota are in the hospital battling COVID-19, with 104 in intensive care beds.
On the upside, the high number of positive cases are accompanied by a single-day high in reported tests being conducted -- more than 2,200.
Related: Gov. Walz Announces State Should Be Able To Test Up To 20K Minnesotans Daily
At a daily briefing Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz said virus cases will go up as testing ramps up.
MORE: Follow daily briefing updates on Pat Kessler's Twitter page.
Since the outbreak began in Minnesota early last month, more than 51,500 people have been tested for the respiratory illness, which first appeared in Wuhan, China, last year.
More than half of the people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Minnesota have recovered and no longer need to be in isolation, health officials say.
For most who get COVID-19, symptoms are mild. However, the disease can be deadly to the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. The novel coronavirus has hit Minnesota's long-term care facilities particularly hard.
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