North Dakota ranks first in new cases per capita
In this Sept. 8, 2020, file photo, Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health nurses Crys Kuntz, left, and Sara Nelson confer inside the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck, N.D., where vehicles were lined up for the weekly drive-thru COVID-19 testing.[Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File]
Health officials in North Dakota said Tuesday that a sixth straight day of record active COVID-19 cases put the state’s number of current infections at 4,600.
The update confirmed 517 positive tests in the last day and 12 deaths, increasing the number of fatalities due to the coronavirus to 357. The state’s rate of positive tests has risen steadily in the last week and came in over 10% Tuesday.
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John Hopkins University researchers say there were more than 888 new cases per 100,000 people in North Dakota over the past two weeks, which ranks first in the country for new cases per capita.
Hospitalizations remained unchanged at 158. Health department data shows the state has 29 staffed ICU beds and 253 staffed inpatient beds available.