ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota set a another record for a single-day for newly reported COVID-19 cases on Friday, breaking the record set just a day before.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported 3,165 new cases of COVID-19 Friday—3,083 confirmed cases and 82 probable. There have also been 18 new deaths.
The previous single-day high of 2,872 new COVID-19 cases was set on Thursday. Minnesota has now seen a total of 145,465 cases of the coronavirus to date and 2,437 deaths.
The 3,165 newly reported COVID-19 cases were out of 32,850 completed tests, the highest volume of tests Minnesota has reported this week. The rate of positive tests was 9.6%.
The 7-day rolling positivity rate has continued to go up. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm reported Thursday it is now at 6.8%, although it is a lagging indicator.
COVID-19 cases are now growing faster than testing in Minnesota—growth which Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm attributes to community spread, rather than one or two big events.
Of the 18 newly reported deaths, 12 were in long-term care or assisted living facilities. The deaths ranged in age from 55 to 94 years old.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Minnesota have increased this week. As of Thursday, there were 738 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with 176 in the ICU. It's an increase from Wednesday's total of 694 patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. State data is current as of the previous day.
Thursday, MDH also released its latest county-by-county COVID-19 data. Over Labor Day, there were 70 counties were fewer than 20 cases per 10,000 residents. The latest data shows there are just seven counties now under that number. There are 25 counties with a case rate of over 50 cases per 10,000 residents. Health officials recommend full distance learning for schools within those counties.