Minnesota health officials on Friday reported 94 new COVID-19 deaths, the state’s second-highest one-day death toll for the pandemic, but new cases and hospitalizations continue to fall.

Minnesota had 1,461 patients hospitalized as of Thursday, down from a peak of 1,864 on Nov. 29. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Minnesota has fallen from 5,628 new cases per day on Nov. 26 to 4,799 as of Thursday.

Health officials have said the four-week “pause” ordered by Gov. Tim Walz last month seems to be having a positive impact. Walz will announce Wednesday whether he’ll extend those restrictions on businesses, gatherings, and organized youth sports.

Correction: This story originally stated Walz would make his announcement on extending restrictions Monday. It was later announced that this would be postponed to Wednesday, but our story was not updated prior to it being posted. We regret the error.

By — Lakeland News