Minnesota’s COVID-19 case count tops 3,000

By: Rilyn Eischens - April 24, 2020 11:06 am

The coronavirus.

More than 3,000 Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Two-hundred-twenty-one people have died.

Because of limited testing, the number of confirmed cases doesn’t represent everyone who has or has had COVID-19. More than 1,590 of patients who tested positive have recovered and no longer need to be isolated, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. As of Thursday afternoon, 278 patients were hospitalized, 111 of them in intensive care units.

Minnesota’s daily death toll climbed in the past several days, with the state reporting 21 deaths — the highest number in a 24-hour period — two days in a row. The total number of deaths has doubled since April 17.

More than 53,700 Minnesotans have been tested for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The state announced Wednesday a plan to test up to 20,000 Minnesotans daily through a joint effort with Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota.

Check out Minnesota Reformer’s daily COVID-19 tracker for unemployment data, confirmed cases by county and national numbers.

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Rilyn Eischens

Rilyn Eischens is a former data reporter for the Minnesota Reformer. Rilyn was born and raised in Minnesota and has worked in newsrooms in the Twin Cities, Iowa, Texas and most recently Virginia, where she covered education for The Staunton News Leader. She's an alumna of the Dow Jones News Fund data journalism program and the Minnesota Daily. When Rilyn isn't in the newsroom, she likes to read, add to her plant collection and try new recipes.