19 new deaths, Nobles Co cases continue to soar

(St. Paul, MN) – The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed 19 new deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bring the state’s death toll to 179.

It is the highest number of deaths in a single day since the state’s first reported death on March 19.

Nearly 50,000 people have now been tested for the virus, with 2,721 testing positive.  Slightly more than half of those patients no longer need isolation.

In Nobles County, cases increased by 25 for the second day in a row.  There are now 126 total cases in the county, which has been identified as a hot spot in the state.

Two new cases were also reported in Blue Earth County, bringing the county total to 26.  According to statistics on the county website, only 4% of the cases involved patients in congregate care settings, such as assisted living, and long-term care facilities.  A majority of the positive cases were likely exposed to the virus through travel or community transmission.

Cottonwood County remains at six confirmed positive cases.  The county is home to a pork processing plant that announced Tuesday it would close for two days after a worker tested positive for the virus.