Coronavirus In Minnesota: 571 New COVID-19 Cases Reported As Daily Testing Fails To Reach Benchmark
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota reported Monday that 3,239 COVID-19 tests were processed in the last 24 hours, failing to meet the 5,000 tests a day benchmark laid out by Gov. Tim Walz as the state ramps up to the goal of processing 20,000 tests a day.
While the state has considerable work to do to meet its testing schedule, it should be noted that test processing is up more than 1,000 tests a day compared to a week ago.
The Minnesota Department of Health also reported Monday that there were 571 more lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nine more deaths. The state's death toll has now reached 428, with the majority of victims (345) being people in long-term care facilities, particularly nursing homes.
Since the outbreak began in Minnesota in March, nearly 86,000 people have been tested for the novel coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, last year. More than 7,200 people in Minnesota have tested positive for COVID-19. For most, symptoms are mild, but it can be deadly to the elderly or those with underlying health issues, as it can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia.
Health officials say that 396 people are currently in Minnesota hospitals battling the disease. Of them, 166 are in intensive care beds -- up 11 from Sunday. Meanwhile, roughly 4,000 people have recovered and no longer need to be in isolation.
Minnesota remains under a stay-at-home order. However some retailers were allowed to open Monday for curbside and delivery pickup. Officials estimate that this latest easing in the lockdown restrictions could put 30,000 Minnesotans back to work. Last week, some offices and other non-consumer facing facilities were allowed to reopen.
Still, bars, restaurants and places of worship remain closed at least until May 18, the current date when the stay-at-home order is set to end. Even so, the governor may announce another extension.
As for testing, Walz and health officials said last month that the state will be eventually able to process 20,000 tests a day, enough for anyone showing symptoms to be tested. The state was scheduled to reach the 5,000 tests a day benchmark on Monday.
The increase in testing capacity is being spearheaded by a partnership between the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic. Additionally, Health Partners announced last week that it expected to be able to process 2,000 tests a day in its labs starting Monday.
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