Twenty more COVID-19 deaths were reported Thursday, continuing an increase in fatalities that began in early October.
Over the past seven days, 102 deaths from the new coronavirus have been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, the biggest weekly total since early June.
State health officials have said the increasing death numbers are the inevitable result of more people getting infected with the virus.
On Thursday, another 1,574 new infections were added to the state's growing case count, the result of what health leaders have said were infections transmitted at social gatherings without masks or social distancing.
"COVID fatigue is real here in Minnesota and across the country, and we see it in the outbreak data," Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said.
Many rural parts of the state are seeing the highest weekly case rate growth, with the latest data showing 16 rural counties with increases to more than 30 new infections for every 10,000 residents.
By comparison, statewide there have been 17 new cases per 10,000, which is up from a rate of seven new cases in mid-September.
"With more of the businesses open … we have seen an increase in people kind of tired of the whole thing and out and about more," said Debra Jacobs, Wilkin County public health director.