Minnesota Reports 82 Deaths From COVID-19

the Minnesota Reformer

By Rilyn Eischens

December 9, 2020

Minnesota reported 4,539 new COVID-19 cases and 82 deaths Wednesday, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

A total of 363,719 Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19, and 4,027 have died.

Although the surge in new cases and hospitalizations that swept the state this month seems to have subsided in recent days, Minnesotans shouldn’t get too comfortable yet. The state’s positivity rate is still above 10%, double the rate that experts say indicates controlled spread of COVID-19.

Minnesota is experiencing the nation’s sixth-fastest rate of case growth, with roughly 95 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past week, according the Brown School of Public Health.

More than 1,500 Minnesotans were hospitalized with COVID-19 Tuesday. Metro hospital ICUs were at roughly 94% capacity with 30 beds available, and 97% capacity for non-ICU beds, with 104 available.

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