Minnesota reports record single-day COVID-19 death toll with 101

Thanksgiving Weekend is a sad time to have to report a new daily record for COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota. Today’s total of 101 pushes us to 3,476 deaths since the disease first arrived in our state nearly nine months ago.  

This is a sad development, but it is not a surprising development. For weeks we have been sounding the alarm about the dramatic growth in COVID-19 cases. We know that more cases leads to more hospitalizations and deaths, and today’s news reinforces that tragic pattern.

As we make our way through the next few weeks and a holiday season unlike any we have experienced, we must redouble our efforts to protect each other – especially those who are at higher risk of developing severe illness. Every public activity now is more risky than it was even a few weeks ago, so the best way to slow this spread is for people to stay home and away from gatherings with those outside of our immediate household. And we need everyone leaving their home to follow the basic recommendations every time. That means staying 6 feet apart from others, wearing your mask over your nose and mouth, staying home when sick, and getting tested when appropriate.

This is painful and frustrating, but every day we get closer to having safe and effective vaccines that should help resolve this crisis. We anxiously await that day, and until then we all must do our part to ensure that all of our loved ones, friends and neighbors can celebrate those days with us.

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TESTING 

Total overall lab tests completed: 4,012,524

• Total approximate number of completed PCR tests (cumulative): 3,922,136
• Total approximate number of completed antigen tests (cumulative): 90,388

CASES 

5,704 newly reported confirmed positive cases 

• Newly reported confirmed cases: 5,533
• Newly reported probable cases: 171

Total confirmed cases of COVID-19: 295,001

• Total confirmed cases (PCR positive) (cumulative): 289,364
• Total probable cases (Antigen positive) (cumulative): 5,637

Total number of health care workers: 21,846

POSITIVE RATE 

7.4% of total tests to date have been reported as positive 

RECOVERED 

Total patients who no longer need to be isolated:244,982

HOSPITALIZATION 

• Total number of patients hospitalized: 16,043
• Total number of patients that have been admitted to the ICU: 3,638

The MDH has changed the way it reports hospitalization and ICU numbers and are no longer reporting the number of people currently hospitalized and in the ICU.

DEATHS 
101 deaths reported today including an Olmsted County resident in their 90s
Residence type of newly reported deaths:  

• Private residence: 35
• Long-term care facility/Assisted living: 64
• Group home/Residential behavioral health: 1
• Jail/Prison: 1

Total number of deaths: 3,476

• Deaths from confirmed cases (cumulative): 3,410
• Deaths from probable cases (cumulative): 66

Total non-laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths: 59
*COVID-19 listed on death certificate but a positive test not documented for the person. 

68% of deaths, or 2,355, were among cases that resided in long-term care or assisted living facilities. 

Cases by County of Residence

County of residence is confirmed during the case interview. At the time of this posting not all interviews have been completed. The county residence data may not equal the total number of reported positive cases.