Coronavirus In Minnesota: COVID-19 Death Toll Breaches 100
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The battle against COVID-19 in Minnesota reached a grim milestone Friday as the state's death toll surged past 100.
The Minnesota Department of Health announced that 17 more people have died from the disease in the last 24 hours, bringing the state's death toll to 111.
Additionally, officials say the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Minnesota has risen to 2,071, up 159 from Thursday.
Of those still battling the disease, 223 are in the hospital, with 106 in intensive care beds. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people have recovered and no longer need to be in isolation.
Minnesota has 1300 hospital beds with capacity to double that number, also 282 ventilators, says special pandemic emergency consultant to state, Dr. John Hick.
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Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in Minnesota over a month ago, more than 43,000 people have been tested for the virus, which was first detected in Wuhan, China, last year.
For most people, symptoms are mild, but for the elderly or those with underlying health issues, the disease can be deadly.
Health officials say many of those who have died in Minnesota lived in long-term care facilities. More than 100 such facilities in Minnesota have had at least one case involving residents or staff. A list of those facilities can be found here.