Minnesota COVID-19 cases surpass 10,000; 26 new deaths

(St. Paul, MN) – Minnesota’s COVID-19 case count surpassed 10,000 Friday, as 26 new deaths were reported and hospitalizations rose.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 723 new positive cases of COVID-19, pushing the state’s total to 10,088.  Of those cases, 1,270 were identified as health care workers.

Rice County has seen a spike in lab-confirmed positive cases as testing measures ramp up around the state.  There were 48 total cases reported in the county Thursday.  That number jumped to 81 Friday, an increase of 33 cases.

In Nobles County, where an outbreak is linked to a meat processing plant, 24 new positive cases were confirmed, for a total of 1,177 cases.

Of the 26 newly reported deaths, 25 were from a long-term care or assisted living facilities.  One was from a private residence.  MDH reports 534 total deaths due to COVID-19.

There are 38 more people hospitalized since the previous report, for a total of 473.  Intensive care hospitalizations also rose by 16, with 198 patients total in the ICU.