761 New COVID-19 Cases, 7 New Deaths Reported in MN Wednesday

Minnesota reported 761 new COVID-19 cases and seven new deaths today. Five of those seven deaths reported today involved people who resided in a long-term care or assisted living facility.

One of those deaths was a Minnesota man who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last month. Health officials say the man was in his 60s and had underlying health problems. The death is the first reported that is possibly link to the biker rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people.

The 761 new cases came from a total of 27,487 tests administered for a case positivity rate of 2.7%. Health officials said Monday that the state’s seven-day rolling average positivity rate was at 5.2%, up from last Monday when it was at 4.9%. The goal is to keep that average below 5%.

There are currently 297 people hospitalized with COVID-19, up three from yesterday. Of those hospitalized, 135 are hospitalized in ICU which is one less from yesterday.

In the Lakeland viewing area, the state reported 22 new cases in the following counties:

• Beltrami – 6
• Crow Wing – 3
• Itasca – 1
• Koochiching – 1
• Lake of the Woods – 3
• Mille Lacs – 3
• Morrison – 2
• Polk – 2
• Todd – 1