Nine more people have died of COVID-19 in Minnesota, health officials reported Saturday, as new test results pushed the statewide tally of confirmed cases beyond 30,000.
COVID-19 has caused a total of 1,283 deaths across the state, according to data posted Saturday morning by the Minnesota Department of Health. Residents of long-term care accounted for four of the nine newly announced deaths.
The net count for positive test results grew by 377 confirmed cases in the past day, on a one-day volume of 12,784 completed tests. Compared with much of May, the daily count for new cases being reported in Minnesota has been significantly lower in recent weeks.
A total of 390 people require hospitalization, compared with 403 on Friday, the Health Department said. The number of ICU patients held steady at 191.
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 3,581 people have been hospitalized.
People at greatest risk from COVID-19 include those 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities, and those with underlying medical conditions. The medical conditions range from lung disease, serious heart conditions and cancer to severe obesity, diabetes and kidney patients who need dialysis.
Numbers released Saturday show health care workers have accounted for 3,140 cases statewide. A total of 25,620 Minnesotans who were infected with the novel coronavirus no longer need to be in isolation, up from 25,028 people at Friday's data release.
The state on Saturday listed the first confirmed case in Cook County, making it the 86th of Minnesota's 87 counties with at least one case. Cook County health officials reported the county's first case earlier this week, at a time when the county sheriff said someone had tried to stop tourists from bringing COVID-19 into the county by blocking Hwy. 61.
