Minnesota Coronavirus Cases Now Stand at 169

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus rose to 169 on Sunday, up 32 from a day earlier.

The state has had one death, a Ramsey County resident in their 80s who died Thursday. 

That person came in contact with an infected family member who had a history of international travel, said Kris Ehresmann, the Minnesota Department of Health’s infectious disease director. 

The person had underlying medical conditions, she said.

Sunday’s update noted that the virus had been confirmed in two new counties, Cass and LeSueur.

Ehresmann told reporters during a conference call Sunday afternoon that 17 patients have been hospitalized so far. Ten remain hospitalized, including five in intensive care. The other seven are recovering at home.

The 169 infected patients’ ages range from 10 to 94, Ehresmann said. Thirty-four health care workers have been infected, she added.

Gov. Tim Walz, who earlier ordered bars and restaurants to close, on Saturday evening activated the National Guard to carry personal protective equipment being stored at Camp Ripley to a warehouse in St. Paul.

Many hospitals have a shortage of protective gear for their workers.

3M Chairman and CEO Mike Romain posted a statement Sunday saying his company has doubled its global output of N95 respirators, face masks that fit snugly, to a rate of more than 1.1 billion per year, or nearly 100 million per month.

The company is producing 35 million masks per month in the United States, with more than 90% designed for health care providers, he said.