COVID-19 Confirmed Cases in the State Rise to 5,136

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to climb in Minnesota, but the state is making progress toward more testing, new figures Thursday from the Minnesota Department of Health show.

The department reported 24 new deaths to raise Minnesota’s death toll to 343. A new one-day high of 492 confirmed cases pushed the state’s total to 5,136. And a daily high of 3,532 new tests brought the total to 70,276.

The figures came out on a day when Gov. Tim Walz was set to announce details of the next phase of Minnesota’s stay-at-home order. He has indicated his plan is to dial back restrictions slowly.

Officials have warned that the case count will swell as testing accelerates. Walz last week announced a partnership with the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic to expand the state’s testing capacity to 20,000 daily within a few weeks.

The department also reported that 365 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, up 45 from Wednesday, and 130 of them were in intensive care, up 11 from the day before.

Health officials say the real number of Minnesotans infected with the coronavirus is likely much higher because most people don’t get tested, and studies suggest that people can be infected without feeling sick.