(FOX 9) - For the second day in a row, Minnesota set a new single-day record for COVID-19 deaths with 72 deaths reported Thursday.
The previous single-day high for COVID-19 deaths was 67, reported on Wednesday. To date, 3,082 people in Minnesota have died from COVID-19, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Of those deaths, 289 occurred in the last week alone.
Thirty-seven of the newly reported deaths were in the Twin Cities metro while the other 35 were in Greater Minnesota.
The deaths included a Wilkin County resident in their late 30s and an Anoka County resident in their late 40s. The remaining deaths were among people 60 or older.
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Minnesota Governor imposes new sweeping coronavirus restrictions for four weeks
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MDH also reported 7,877 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday—the second highest so far. The most number of cases reported in a single day was 8,703 on Saturday.
The 7,877 positive cases were on a volume of 56,820 completed tests—a positivity rate of 13.9%.
COVID-19 cases in Minnesota have increased 136% over the last two weeks, the third highest rate of increase in the nation behind Vermont and New Hampshire, according to the NBC News COVID-19 tracker.
Earlier this week, Health Commissioner said given the current rate that COVID-19 cases are increasing in Minnesota, the state could see 10,000 cases per day by Thanksgiving.
There have been 249,906 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Minnesota since the pandemic began.
The New York Times lists St. Cloud as one of the nation's current COVID-19 hotspots. Rochester, Fairbault–Northfield, Fergus Falls and Mankato are among the 20 metro areas where cases are currently rising the fastest.