With 17 more deaths, Minnesota’s COVID-19 death toll reaches 160

By: Rilyn Eischens - April 21, 2020 10:35 am

Minnesota reported 17 deaths from COVID-19 between April 19 and 20 — tying the state’s highest number of deaths in a 24-hour period during the pandemic.

Across the state, 160 people have died from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus since the state confirmed its first case on March 6, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The number of reported deaths has nearly doubled since April 14.

The state’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases has topped 2,500, with 97 new cases reported as of 4 p.m. April 20. A handful of rural counties have the highest case rates in Minnesota, with the largest number of cases per capita in Nobles County, where there are 45.8 cases per 10,000 residents, and in Martin County, with 20.7 cases per 10,000 residents.

Of the 2,567 Minnesotans who tested positive, 1,254 have recovered. Due to testing limitations, those totals don’t include everyone who is sick with or has recovered from COVID-19.

For more data related to the coronavirus pandemic in Minnesota and the United States, check out Minnesota Reformer’s daily COVID-19 tracker.

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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.