Minnesota Virus Cases Reach Record High for 3rd-Straight Day

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Department of Health reported 3,956 new coronavirus cases and 25 deaths on Thursday, breaking the single-day record for new cases for the third straight day.

Minnesota has seen explosive case growth in the past week after a steady increase since mid-September. State health officials said Wednesday that the northwestern and central regions of the state are experiencing some of the most severe outbreaks, and hospitals statewide are nearing full capacity.

According to data compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Minnesota has nearly doubled in the past two weeks from 1,521.14 new cases per day on Oct. 21 to 3,068.43 new cases per day on Nov. 4. The seven-day rolling average of daily new deaths over the past two weeks climbed over 20.

The state’s totals since the pandemic began now sit at 164,865 cases and 2,555 deaths.