Single-day record of new COVID-19 cases in Minnesota; Blue Earth Co records 29 more

(St. Paul, MN) – Thirteen new COVID-19 deaths reported Thursday by state health officials pushed Minnesota’s death toll past 1,800, while confirmed positive cases of the virus saw the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began.

The Minnesota Department of Health reports 1,806 total deaths in the state since the first death recorded on March 21.  The 13 latest deaths involved people from Anoka, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties.  Seven deaths were people from a private residence, while six came from long-term care facilities.

Newly confirmed positive cases of the virus were at a single-day high, with 1,158 new COVID-19 cases reported by MDH Thursday.  But health officials blame the high number on inconsistent reporting from one lab.

Here are the latest cases reported in counties in Southern Minnesota:

Blue Earth – 29
Cottonwood – 1
Faribault – 3
Freeborn – 4
Jackson – 2
Le Sueur – 13
Lyon – 7
Marin – 1
McLeod – 4
Mower – 3
Murray – 1
Nicollet – 9
Nobles – 14
Redwood – 6
Renville – 5
Rice – 8
Sibley – 2
Steele – 6
Waseca -14
Watonwan – 5

Hospitalizations are remaining largely steady.  There is one person more hospitalized than Wednesday, for a total of 305.  There are 139 people in the intensive care unit, five more than the previous day.

There have been over one million people tested for COVID-19 in Minnesota, with 72,390 positive test results, according to MDH.