7,559 new COVID-19 cases, 31 more deaths reported in Minnesota

Newly confirmed deaths included 18 in congregate care settings.

November 15, 2020 at 5:12PM
Staff were on hand to guide and help people through the new saliva COVID-19 testing site at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020.
Staff were on hand to guide and help people through the new saliva COVID-19 testing site at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Thursday, November 12, 2020. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Thirty-one more people have died of COVID-19 in Minnesota, health officials reported Sunday.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported an increase of 7,559 new confirmed coronavirus infections, according to a data release on Sunday morning.

That brings the total number of cases confirmed in Minnesota to 223,581. Statewide, the pandemic's toll reached 2,905 deaths.

Residents of long-term care and assisted-living facilities accounted for 18 of the newly announced deaths.

Numbers released Sunday show health care workers have accounted for 17,724 cases statewide.

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus that surfaced late last year. Since the first case was reported in Minnesota in early March, 13,074 people have been hospitalized.

People at greatest risk from COVID-19 include those 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities and those with underlying medical conditions.

Those health problems range from lung disease and serious heart conditions to severe obesity and diabetes. People undergoing treatment for failing kidneys also run a greater risk, as do those with cancer and other conditions where treatments suppress immune systems.

Most patients with COVID-19 don't need to be hospitalized. The illness usually causes mild or moderate symptoms; many cases are asymptomatic.

Confirmed cases have been reported in all of the state's 87 counties.

Kim Hyatt • 612-673-4751

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about the writer

Kim Hyatt

Reporter

Kim Hyatt reports on North Central Minnesota. She previously covered Hennepin County courts.

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