ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The state of Minnesota reported ten new COVID-19 deaths and more than 800 new cases Friday.
According to new data released by the Minnesota Department of Health, 856 new positive cases were reported Friday, bringing the total to 78,966 since the pandemic began. 70,537 Minnesotans no longer require isolation from COVID-19.
Approximately 1.5 million COVID-19 tests have been reported to the state to date.
1,847 Minnesotans have died from COVID-19. One of the deaths reported Friday included a person aged 40 to 44 years old in Ramsey County. 6,635 have been hospitalized since the pandemic began.
Minnesotans in their 20s account for the highest number of COVID-19 cases, with more than 10,000 of positive cases coming in the 20-24-year-old age group.
In a press conference on Thursday, Governor Tim Walz warned Minnesota could be nearing a tipping point in the pandemic. State health officials say the state is at a more precarious position heading into Labor Day weekend than it was heading into the Fourth of July weekend.
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White House advisor Dr. Birx worries rural Minnesota isn’t taking COVID-19 seriously enough
One of the nation's most prominent voices in the response to COVID-19 made a stop in Minnesota on Sunday.
Monday, Minnesota Health Department Commissioner Jan Malcolm pointed to personal and private get-togethers as one of the main culprits for the continued spread of the virus.
“There isn’t a different set of rules for personal or private gatherings,” Malcolm said.
According to state infectious disease expert Kris Ehresmann, recent outbreaks have been traced back to personal gatherings, parties or weddings. She said COVID-19 spread in Minnesota is not coming from grocery stores, gas stations and retailers where mask usage is enforced.