Here is Minnesota's COVID-19 update for Saturday, October 31
Twenty more people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota, while the number of positive cases has passed the 3,000 mark for the second consecutive day.
The latest update from the Minnesota Department of Health states there have been 3,021 new positive tests for COVID-19 between 4 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Friday, of which 14 were removed for a total of 3,007.
The 20 new deaths meanwhile bring the state's total deaths to 2,457. Fifteen of the newly reported deaths were residents of long-term care, whom have accounted for 1,716 of the fatal cases in Minnesota since the first death was reported in mid-March.
The MDH reported 33,963 diagnostic PCR tests and an additional 1,516 antigen tests for a total of 35,479 completed tests.
Those tests were from 17,421 people tested. Patients are often tested multiple times, so the more accurate reading for test positivity rate is based on the total number of people tested, which today is 17.26%.
The positivity rate for Friday when total cases is divided by total tests is 8.47%. Health experts say positivity rates need to be below the 5% mark to control the spread of the virus.
Here's a look at how total COVID-19 hospitalizations increased this week. The Minnesota Department of Health does not update hospital totals on weekends, so the next update will come Monday.
- Monday – 616 people (hospitalized at the time of the report)
- Tuesday – 658
- Wednesday – 680
- Thursday – 694
- Friday – 738
Coronavirus in Minnesota by the numbers:
- Total tests: 2,839,304 (up from 2,803,338)
- People tested: 1,853,617 (up from 1,836,196)
- Positive cases: 148,472 (up from 145,465)
- Deaths: 2,457 – 19 of which are "probable*" (up from 2,437)
- Patients no longer requiring isolation: 127,362 (up from 125,052)
* 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.
