Minnesota reports record 3,844 COVID-19 cases, 219 ICU patients Wednesday

(FOX 9) - For a second day in a row, Minnesota hit a new high for the number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day with 3,844 cases Wednesday, according to the latest data from the state health department. 

The 3,844 new COVID-19 cases topped the previous record of 3,483 cases set on Tuesday. Minnesota has now reported more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases per day for four of the last seven days. 

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Minnesota will likely see 4,000 cases per day in the near future. 

This is the first day the Minnesota Department of Health has reported at least one new COVID-19 case in every county in the state, according to Malcolm. Malcolm said the outbreak is statewide, with case numbers increasing particularly rapidly in the western and central parts of the state. 

The growth in the number of cases continues to outpace the growth in testing in Minnesota. There was a 15.4% growth in cases since last week up from 10.2% the week prior, and a 7.8% increase in testing. 

“It feels like we’re losing ground,” Malcolm said. “We’re seeing record numbers of new cases, a new record every few days- and it’s because we’re falling behind the rapid spread of this virus.” 

The 3,844 positive cases were out of 32,775 completed tests—a positivity rate of 11.7%. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm reported the state’s 7-day rolling average positivity rate—the key metric—is now 9.2%, although that is a lagging indicator and does not include the record number of high case counts this past week. 

Minnesota has now seen 160,923 cases of COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Of those cases, 24,466 are currently active and need to be isolated. 

MDH also reported 31 more deaths attributed to COVID-19 on Wednesday. The deaths included one person in their late 30s and one in their late 50s. Both had underlying health conditions, Malcolm said. The rest of the deaths occurred in people 70 and older. 

Eight of the deaths were in the Twin Cities metro area while the rest were in Greater Minnesota. Nineteen of the people who died were residents of long-term care or assisted living facilities and one was in a group home. 

Hospitalizations continued to increase Wednesday and remain at record high levels. There are currently 887 people in Minnesota hospitalized with COVID-19, according to Malcolm. Of those, 219 are in the ICU—the highest that number has been so far.