The COVID-19 toll continues to grow in Minnesota as seven more deaths reported on Saturday pushed the total over the last three days to 25 — more than one-third the statewide count of 64 deaths since Minnesota's first loss was reported last month.
All seven of those who died were in their 80s or 90s, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Saturday, and six of the seven lived in congregate-care settings.
Even as deaths increase, public health officials Saturday cited an encouraging trend in the state's coronavirus testing data.
About 4% of all tests have come back positive in Minnesota, compared with positive test rates between 7% and 9% in the neighboring Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Osterholm says the figures suggest that Minnesotans are having more success with staying physically distant in order to stop the disease from spreading.
The difference has been noted at the Minnesota Department of Health, where officials say it's not a function of Minnesota's testing shortage, since all four states have had comparable capacity.
"The fact that we're below Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota, and by a pretty substantial number, is indicative that something different is happening here," Osterholm said. "People really have done the distancing that has really slowed this thing down."
State officials said Saturday the number of known COVID-19 cases in Minnesota increased by 91 for a total of 1,427. A total of 145 people currently are hospitalized, compared with 143 on Friday, according to the Health Department. Patients in ICUs stood at 69, compared with 64 intensive-care patients Friday.
Since the first coronavirus case was reported in Minnesota on March 6, a total of 340 people have now been hospitalized, up from 317 on Friday.