COVID-19: Another 57 deaths reported in Minnesota, positivity rate below 5%
A further 57 deaths from COVID-19 and more than 2,100 cases have been reported for Minnesota.
Figures from Christmas Eve are being reported today (Saturday) due to no data being released on Christmas Day. COVID data from Christmas Day and Saturday will both be reported on Sunday.
There have now been 5,107 deaths from the virus during the pandemic, of which 64.7% (3,305) came from long-term care, including 32 of the 57 reported Saturday.
The latest deaths include someone aged 40-44 in Olmsted County, and someone aged 45-49 in Ramsey County.
Hospitalizations
Hospitalization figures are not updated at weekends.
Through Dec. 23, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota is 1,048. This is down from the 1,060 hospitalized as of Tuesday.
Of those hospitalized, 238 were in intensive care, and 810 were receiving non-ICU treatment.
Testing and positivity rates
The 2,142 positive results in Saturday's update were from a total of 52,888 completed tests, creating a daily test positivity rate of 4.05%.
The World Health Organization recommended in May that a percent positive rate (total positives divided by total completed tests) of below 5% for at least two weeks is necessary to safely reopen the economy. That 5% threshold is based on total positives divided by total tests.
Coronavirus in Minnesota by the numbers
- Total tests: 5,392,411 (up from 5,339,550)
- People tested: 2,918,243 (up from 2,903,339)
- Positive cases: 406,545 (up from 404,403)
- Deaths: 5,107 – 150 of which are "probable*" (up from 5,050)
- Active cases: 23,840 (up from 23,134)
- Patients no longer requiring isolation: 382,705 (up from 381,269)
* Probable deaths are patients who died after testing positive using the COVID-19 antigen test, which is thought to be less accurate than the more common PCR test.
