Minnesota sees 5,924 new COVID-19 cases, highest daily record yet

(FOX 9) - Minnesota health officials reported 5,924 new cases of COVID-19 and 31 more deaths Sunday.

Of the newly reported deaths, 18 lived in assisted living facilities, and 12 lived in private homes. The ages range from someone in their 40s to some in their 90s.

The state's previous record was set on Friday with 5,454 new cases.

Hennepin Healthcare doctor gives update on ICU bed situation amid pandemic

Dr. Matt Prekker with Hennepin Healthcare gives updates on the ICU bed situation amid pandemic.

The Minnesota Department of Health reports the state has now recorded 180,862 cases of COVID-19 and 2,656 deaths attributed to the disease since the onset of the pandemic.

There were 44,913 tests completed in the most recent 24-hour period—a positivity rate of 13.1%

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm reported Friday the 7-day average positivity rate is now 9.8%, up from 7% the week prior. However, it is a lagging indicator and does not include the current week’s record high case counts. Anything over 5% is a concern for MDH because it indicates a high rate of community transmission of the disease.

“This test positivity rate clearly shows that finding more cases is not just a matter of testing more. We are testing a lot more and finding a lot more,” Malcolm said.

The number of cases are now growing at nearly double the rate testing is. Minnesota saw a 16% increase in cases from the week before and only an 8.3% increase in the number of tests.

ICU beds near capacity in Twin Cities metro as COVID-19 impacts health care workers

As the number of COVID-19 cases increases, so does the strain on hospitals. In the Twin Cities metro, both intensive and non-intensive care beds are inching closer to full capacity.

In the Twin Cities metro, both ICU and non-ICU beds are inching closer to full capacity.

For more details on the state's coronavirus situation, visit MDH's website.