Twenty-six more people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota, state health officials reported Friday, and the statewide count for confirmed cases pushed above the 10,000 mark for the first time.
The statewide toll is 534 deaths, according to data posted Friday morning by the Minnesota Department of Health. Residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities account for 434 deaths, roughly four out of every five across the state.
State officials on Thursday released a new plan to address the increasing deaths in long-term care that includes more testing and even use of the National Guard to help with worker shortages.
A total of 473 people require hospitalization, compared with 435 on Thursday, the Health Department said. There are 198 patients in the ICU, compared with 182 intensive care patients Thursday.
State officials say an expected surge of COVID-19 patients has been delayed in Minnesota by public adherence to rules for people to stay at home and keep their distance. With the delay, hospitals next week expect to start performing more elective surgeries that had been delayed to conserve supplies.
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 on March 6, a total of 1,549 people have been hospitalized, up from 1,459 on Thursday.
Most patients with COVID-19 don't need to be hospitalized. The illness usually causes mild or moderate sickness, the Health Department says, and does not require a clinic visit.
Public health officials say the reported case count in Minnesota dramatically understates the number who've been infected and sickened in the state. Limited testing has made it impossible to precisely document the spread, but testing has been increasing.
