Minnesota reports 493 new COVID-19 cases, 35 new deaths; more than 220,000 tests completed
FILE - This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, U.S. health regulators OK'd the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The sample will still have to be shipped for processing back to LabCorp, which operates diagnostic labs throughout the U.S.[NIAID-RML via AP]
Minnesota state health officials reported 493 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, pushing the state’s total to 22,947.
The Minnesota Department of Health also reported 35 additional deaths from COVID-19. So far, 967 Minnesotans have died from the virus.
To date, state health labs have completed 22,513 tests, while private labs have completed 202,695 tests, according to the MDH.
A total of 2,880 patients have required hospitalization. As of Thursday, 606 COVID-19 patients were still in the hospital and 242 were in intensive care.
According to the MDH, 16,655 patients no longer require isolation. That number no longer includes the number of people who have died of COVID-19.
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According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, the virus has infected more than 5.7 million people worldwide and killed about 356,000.
More than 2.3 million people worldwide have recovered as of Wednesday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, patients with confirmed COVID-19 have mild to severe respiratory problems, with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. Some patients report having muscle aches, headache, sore throat, and/or chills and shaking.
Note: According to MDH – "Because all data are preliminary, the change in number of cumulative positive cases and deaths from one day to the next may not equal the newly reported cases or deaths."