Coronavirus (MN): Record High 3,844 Daily COVID Cases Reported; Gov. Requests Federal Support
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A day after the presidential election, Minnesota has broken COVID-19 case records yet again, with 3,844 positive cases reported Wednesday. An additional 31 people have died.
Over the past 10 days, COVID-19 cases have hovered around the 2,000 to 3,000 realm, but Wednesday beat the previous daily positive case record that had been set on Tuesday. The death toll has also breached 2,500.
Hospitalizations have also reached record numbers, with 908 currently in the hospital. Over 20% of those are currently in the ICU, though the data is still preliminary.
On Wednesday, Gov. Tim Walz announced he's requesting federal support for hospitals and long-term care facilities. The request would provide an additional 10 medical professionals to facilities experiencing staff shortages due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.
"Minnesota's case counts are on the rise, which means the need for staffing support will continue to increase," Governor Walz wrote in the letter. "Securing this additional staffing support, in addition to extending the current staffing support on the ground in Minnesota, would significantly assist our state during this tenuous time."
The request would also provide a 30-day extension of existing federal support.
According to Minnesota Department of Health, there have been 160,923 positive COVID-19 cases and 2,530 deaths since March. Of those tested positive, 136,457 no longer need to self-isolate.
Testing also continues to increase state-wide, as new free community testing sites and saliva testing sites open. Health officials say over 30,000 tests were processed on Tuesday.
MORE: MDH's COVID-19 Situation Update
According to the state's Dial Back Dashboard, Minnesota's seven-day positivity rate has risen to 9% as of Oct. 26, up 2% in the span of a week. If the daily average positivity rate climbs more than 5% in the span of 14 days, that would be considered a benchmark by which state authorities would consider reinstating more restrictions.
