Three more people have died of COVID-19 in Minnesota, health officials reported Sunday.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported a net increase of 871 new confirmed coronavirus infections, according to a data release on Sunday morning.
The increase continued a recent trend of growing counts in new daily cases, and was one of the largest in Minnesota since May. The increase came on a volume of about 16,272 completed tests, however, which is significantly higher than daily test tallies in May.
Residents of long-term care and assisted-living facilities accounted for one of the newly announced deaths. Statewide, the pandemic's toll reached 1,574 deaths.
The latest numbers show 273 patients were hospitalized, down from 287 on Saturday; 115 patients required intensive care, the same as on Saturday. Daily tallies for hospitalized patients in Minnesota have been trending down or holding steady in recent weeks.
COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus that surfaced late last year. Since the first case was reported in Minnesota in early March, 4,920 people have been hospitalized.
People at greatest risk from COVID-19 include those 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities and those with underlying medical conditions.
Those health problems range from lung disease and serious heart conditions to severe obesity and diabetes. People undergoing treatment for failing kidneys also run a greater risk, as do those with cancer and other conditions where treatments suppress immune systems.
Numbers released Saturday show health care workers have accounted for 5,938 cases statewide. A total of 44,431 Minnesotans who were infected with the novel coronavirus no longer need to be in isolation, an increase of more than 806 people at Saturday's data release.
As of Saturday, cases have now been confirmed in all of Minnesota's 87. Lake of the Woods County, in far northern Minnesota, reported a case Saturday.
Most patients with COVID-19 don't need to be hospitalized. The illness usually causes mild or moderate sickness and many lack symptoms.
Kim Hyatt • 612-673-4751
