COVID-19 cases top 50,000 in Minnesota

The statewide count from the COVID-19 pandemic now exceeds 50,000 cases in Minnesota, health officials said Saturday, and cases are now being reported in all 87 counties.

After standing for more than a month as the lone county without a confirmed case, Lake of the Woods County in far northern Minnesota now has one, according to a data release Saturday morning from the Minnesota Department of Health.

A net increase of 803 new coronavirus infections on Saturday came on a volume of about 18,227 completed tests. It was the third consecutive day of the state reporting more than 700 cases and only the third time Minnesota has reported more than 800 new cases since new cases peaked in May.

The larger daily tallies this month, however, come on a larger volume of tests than during previous peaks.

The latest numbers show 287 patients were hospitalized, compared with 278 on Friday; 115 patients required intensive care, compared with 108 ICU patients Friday. Daily tallies for hospitalized patients in Minnesota have been picking up over the last week, although they remain well below peaks of more than 600 hospitalized patients and about 260 in the ICU in late May.

Residents of long-term care and assisted-living facilities accounted for four of five deaths newly announced by the Health Department. Statewide, 1,571 people have died from the virus.

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus that surfaced late last year. Since the first case was reported in Minnesota in early March, 4,889 cases have been hospitalized.

Numbers released Saturday show health care workers have accounted for 5,882 cases statewide, a one-day increase of 49 cases. A total of 43,625 Minnesotans who were infected with the novel coronavirus no longer need to be in isolation, an increase of 743 patients over Friday's data release.

The state continues to see a decline in congregate care facilities publicly identified with at least one COVID-19 case among residents or staff. Whereas the state last week listed 164 facilities with cases, the tally is now 159 facilities, according to a Friday update.

This month, the Health Department started removing from its public list facilities that have not reported a new exposure for a minimum of 28 days. In late June, the Health Department listed cases in at least 337 facilities. State officials release names only for facilities with at least 10 residents.

Health problems that increase COVID-19 risks range from lung disease and serious heart conditions to severe obesity and diabetes. People undergoing treatment for failing kidneys also run a greater risk, as do those with cancer and other conditions where treatments suppress immune systems.

Most patients with COVID-19 don't need to be hospitalized. The illness usually causes mild or moderate sickness; studies suggest that up to 45% of those who are infected won't have symptoms.