Wednesday's COVID-19 update from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) includes 1,858 new cases and 32 newly reported deaths. The state's death toll is 8,489 since the start of the pandemic. Through Oct. 19, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota was 935 – down from 950 reported Tuesday. It's the second straight decrease after reaching a high of 1,007. Of those hospitalized, 240 people are in intensive care and 695 were in general hospital care. The 1,858 positive results in Wednesday's update were from 41,913 completed tests, creating a test positivity rate of 4.43%. Todd County is currently at 3,981 confirmed cases of covid-19 along with 36 deaths.
A 62-year-old semi-truck driver from Maple Grove was killed in a crash Tuesday afternoon in the northwest metro. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just before 1 p.m. on westbound Interstate 94 at Highway 241 in St. Michael. The semi rear-ended an SUV, and then struck an off-ramp barrier and rolled. Investigators say the driver wasn’t wearing a seat belt. he driver of the SUV, a 37-year-old Fargo woman, wasn’t hurt. The identity of the semi driver hasn’t been released. The state patrol is still investigating.
Tuesday's COVID-19 update from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) includes 5,686 new cases and 21 newly reported deaths. The totals are from three days (Saturday-Monday), thus they may appear higher than normal. The state's death toll is 8,457 since the start of the pandemic. Of the total deaths, 55.9% (4,709) were residents of long-term care. Through Oct. 18, the number of people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Minnesota was 950 – down from 1,007 reported Monday. Of those hospitalized, 246 people are in intensive care and 704 were in general hospital care. The 5,686 positive results in Tuesday's update were from 78,725 completed tests, creating a test positivity rate of 7.22%. Todd County is currently at 3,973 confirmed cases of covid -19 along with 36 deaths.