Minnesota Reports 2,737 New COVID-19 Cases And 65 Deaths

the Minnesota Reformer

By Rilyn Eischens

December 18, 2020

Minnesota reported 2,737 new COVID-19 cases and 65 deaths Friday, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

A total of 391,889 Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19, and 4,723 have died.

The surge in new cases and hospitalizations that swept the state in November and early December seems to have subsided in recent days. The state’s positivity rate has fallen below 10% in the past week, after hovering between 10% and 15% for most of November and early December.

After experiencing one of the nation’s worst outbreaks last month, Minnesota now has the nation’s 30th-fastest rate of case growth, with roughly 58 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past week, according the Brown School of Public Health.

Nearly 1,200 Minnesotans were hospitalized with COVID-19 Thursday. Metro hospital ICUs were at roughly 93% capacity with 44 beds available, and 97% capacity for non-ICU beds, with 104 available.

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