Politics & Government
Minnesota Breaks Another COVID-19 Record With 7,228 New Confirmed Cases
The new figures come amid a bleak month for Minnesota as cases, hospitalizations and deaths surge.
By Rilyn Eischens
November 12, 2020
Find out what's happening in Minneapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Minnesota reported 7,228 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Thursday, another record-high daily total that far surpasses the previous record of 5,908 cases set just days ago.
The new figures come amid a bleak month for Minnesota as cases, hospitalizations and deaths surge. Minnesota’s positivity rate has reached nearly 15% — triple the rate indicating controlled spread of COVID-19 — and the state reported record-high daily case totals for multiple consecutive days last week.
Find out what's happening in Minneapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Health officials have said the coronavirus’ spread is driven by informal social gatherings among family and friends, and they urge Minnesotans to remain vigilant with social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding crowds and indoor get-togethers.
The state also reported 39 deaths, the second-highest daily total during the pandemic so far after Wednesday’s record of 56 new deaths. As of Thursday, 2,793 Minnesotans had died of COVID-19.
Nearly 1,300 Minnesotans are hospitalized, and health care systems are starting to feel the strain. In the metro, 97% of the metro’s critical care beds were occupied Monday, leaving 22 of the region’s 659 beds open for additional patients, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. ICUs were at least 90% full in the northeast, central and southeast regions of the state, and at least 50% full in other regions.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced tighter restrictions on bars, restaurants, weddings and informal social gatherings Tuesday that state officials hope will slow the spread of COVID-19.
“I feel like the guy in Footloose: No dancing, no fun, no whatever. That is not my intention. My intention is to keep you safe,” Walz said. “But I recognize this is painful. It’s no fun. I’m as frustrated as you are. We should’ve broke the back of this thing months ago in this country. We have not, but now is the time to do it.”
The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to keeping Minnesotans informed and unearthing stories other outlets can’t or won’t tell..
