COVID-19 deaths surpass 1,000; ICU hospitalizations reach new high

(St. Paul, MN) – Thirty new COVID-19 deaths were recorded and intensive care hospitalizations due to the virus are at an all-time high, according to the latest numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Health.

The latest deaths pushed Minnesota death toll to 1,026.  One of the deaths involved a patient in their 60’s in hard-hit Nobles County, where a virus hot-spot was identified at a meat-packing plant. The county has a total of 5 deaths and 1,512 confirmed positive cases of the virus.

Hospitalizations overall remain steady, but patients requiring intensive care are at 263, the highest since the start of the pandemic.

MDH reports 660 new confirmed positive COVID-19 cases.  Blue Earth County reported two cases, Brown and Cottonwood counties each have one new case, two new cases were reported in Nicollet County, and Mower County has 49 new confirmed positives.