ST PAUL, Minn. — Sunday, Oct. 4
2 p.m.
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services reported five new deaths on Sunday. That number brings the total of fatalities statewide to 1,377. The total number of fatalities is approximately 1% of those testing positive for the virus.
Health officials reported 1,865 new cases on Sunday. The total number of confirmed cases statewide is at 132,663 since the pandemic started.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 7,646 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 5.8% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 25% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 15% are between 30 and 39, 14% are between 50 and 59, and 13% are 40 to 49. An estimated 13% are between 10 and 19, and 9% are between 60 and 69.
As of Sunday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of cases with 30,318 along with 545 deaths. Dane County has reported 10,452 cases and 43 deaths, and Brown County has reported 10,453 cases and 69 deaths.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,048 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday.
This brings the total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began to 103,826.
MDH says 7 Minnesotans have died of complications from the virus during the past day, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to 2,080.
To date, 7,887 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2,177 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 93,148 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer need isolation.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 14,008 cases and one death, and those ages 25-29 follow with 10,192 cases and three deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group at 355 out of
1,375 confirmed cases.
In terms of likely exposure to the coronavirus, MDH says 27,052 cases were the result of community transmission with no known contact with an infected person, and 23,847 had known contact with a person who has a confirmed case.
A total of 12,281 cases involved exposure in a congregate living setting, 1,616 were in a corrections setting, and 361 were in a homeless shelter. MDH data shows 8,653 were linked to an outbreak outside of congregate living or health care.
MDH says 9,372 cases were linked to travel. Health care workers or patients account for 3,470 of diagnosed COVID-19 cases.
MDH has prioritized testing for people in congregate care, hospitalized patients and health care workers, which may impact the scale of those numbers. However, now MDH is urging anyone who is symptomatic to be tested. Testing locations can be found online.
Hennepin County has the most cases in the state at 28,645 cases with 944 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 11,573 cases and 326 deaths. Dakota County reports 7,954 cases and 130 deaths.
Saturday, Oct. 3
2 p.m.
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services reported 19 new deaths on Saturday. That number brings the total of fatalities statewide to 1,372. The total number of fatalities is approximately 1% of those testing positive for the virus.
Health officials reported 2,892 new cases Saturday, the highest single-day mark since the onset of the pandemic. The total number of confirmed cases statewide is at 130,798 since the pandemic started.
Wisconsin health officials say a total of 7,588 people have been hospitalized from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, about 5.8% of the total number of people who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Of the confirmed cases in Wisconsin, 25% involve people between the ages of 20 to 29, 15% are between 30 and 39, 14% are between 50 and 59, and 13% are 40 to 49. An estimated 13% are between 10 and 19, and 9% are between 60 and 69.
As of Saturday, Milwaukee County reported the largest number of cases with 30,092 along with 545 deaths. Dane County has reported 10,339 cases and 43 deaths, and Brown County has reported 10,398 cases and 69 deaths.
A more detailed breakdown of cases by county can be found on the DHS website.
11 a.m.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported 1,434 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday.
This brings the total number of Minnesotans who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began to 102,787.
MDH says 14 Minnesotans have died of complications from the virus during the past day, bringing the total number of fatalities in the state to 2,073.
To date, 7,846 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic started, with 2,170 of them needing care in the ICU.
MDH reports that 91,844 people once diagnosed with the virus have recovered enough that they no longer need isolation.
Of those who have tested positive, people between the ages of 20-24 account for the most cases with 13,909 cases and one death, and those ages 25-29 follow with 10,087 cases and three deaths. Those between 85 and 89 years old account for the highest number of fatalities in one age group at 354 out of
1,361 confirmed cases.
Hennepin County has the most cases in the state at 28,440 cases with 942 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 11,501 cases and 326 deaths. Dakota County reports 7,914 cases and 129 deaths.
Friday, Oct. 2
- President Trump, First Lady test positive for coronavirus
- Vikings reopen TCO performance center after COVID-related closure
- Officials warn of increasing COVID clusters, outbreaks in workplaces
- Vikings suspend in-person activities after Titans report outbreak
- High school football, volleyball seasons kick off this week
- Officials urge anyone attending political rallies to follow public health guidance
2 p.m.
Top state health and education officials are holding a media briefing call to give an update on COVID-19 in Minnesota. Watch here or below:
Kris Ehresmann, the director of MDH's Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division, spoke at the briefing about COVID-19 risk at President Donald Trump's recent events in the region. She also spoke about MDH's tracking of COVID-19 cases in schools.
“Our thoughts are with President Trump, the First Lady, and others as they deal with COVID-19 infection,” Ehresmann said. She said MDH will continue to only practice contract tracing for people in Minnesota -- that means they will not be involved in tracing within the president's other contacts.
Ehresmann said anyone who went to the president’s campaign events should get tested within five to seven days of the event. If they test negative, they should be tested again 12 days after the event. If someone was in direct contact with Trump or another person who was confirmed to have COVID-19, they should quarantine. She said if that person develops symptoms, the people they live with should quarantine as well.
"We recognize that people may not have been socially distanced and may not have been masking," Ehresmann said. She said anyone who attends any large gathering, especially one with limited social distancing and masking, should be aware of the potential for transmission.
"It's important to keep in mind that the biology of how the virus acts -- it doesn't care if it's me or the President," Ehresmann said. "Our work is consistent for everyone... if we discovered someone was positive, we would do the same follow-up for them as for anyone else."
When asked about the risk levels at the president's campaign event in Duluth, Ehresmann said COVID-19 transmission was possible. She said MDH does not have a list of attendees from the event.
Ehresmann also spoke on COVID-19 at Minnesota schools. She said school-related data will now be included in MDH's weekly update. It will focus on infections in public and non-public schools, but it will not report cases in people who didn't enter a school building while infectious -- for example, a child who is distance learning.
She specified that the cases in schools do not necessarily mean the person was infected at school.
"We'll continue to look at what we're seeing in terms of cases," Ehresmann said. She said if MDH starts to see significant numbers of cases, officials will further look into the possibility of in-school transmission.
The current list on the MDH website shows 5 or more confirmed COVID-19 cases in students or staff at Albert Lea Senior High School, Brainerd Senior High School, Fairmont Jr./Sr. High School, Hinckley Elementary, Isanti Middle School, Martin Luther High School, and St. Paul Lutheran School (Martin County).
Schools with less than five cases aren't shown on the list. Ehresmann said that's partially due to the high level of community spread in many counties -- a school with only a few cases might not have any in-school transmission.
She said MDH's website also has COVID-19 case information for colleges and universities in Minnesota.
Ehresmann was also asked about events that ask people to sign COVID-19 waivers. She said it's between businesses and their legal counsel, and reiterated that any gatherings with limited masking and social distancing pose a transmission risk.
11 a.m.
A new day brings another single-day surge of more than 1,000 additional COVID-19 cases in Minnesota, according to numbers released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
State health officials say 1,184 new cases were confirmed in the last day, based on results from 32,077 tests processed in private and state labs. That is the highest single-day testing volume, excluding days when backlog numbers are reported.
MDH says an additional 10 lives have been lost to the coronavirus, pushing Minnesota fatalities to 2,059. Of those deaths 1,472, or 71% of them, occurred in long-term or assisted living settings.
As of Friday 7,793 people have been, or are being treated in Minnesota hospitals since the onset of the pandemic, with 2,156 of them showing symptoms serious enough to require care in the ICU.
Those between the ages of 20 and 24 continue to account for the largest number of Minnesota's COVID cases with 13,755 and one fatality. People between 25 and 29 make up 9,968 cases and three deaths, while 15 to 19-year-olds comprise 9,639 cases and zero deaths.
Minnesotans ages 85 to 89 are the largest grouping of coronavirus deaths, with 353 in just 1,352 cases. That means 26% of people from that demographic who test positive for COVID die of the virus.
Hennepin County has the most coronavirus activity in the state with 28,158 cases and 940 deaths, followed by Ramsey County with 11,340 cases and 326 deaths. Dakota County reports 7,841 cases and 127 fatalities.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota has the least COVID activity with just seven confirmed cases with no deaths, followed by Kittson County with 12 cases.
Thursday, Oct. 1
11 a.m.
Minnesota has pushed past a dubious milestone, surpassing 100,000 COVID-19 cases since the onset of the pandemic.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says 1,066 new cases of the virus were reported in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of cases in the state to 100,200. Those positives were culled from 25,108 tests processed in private and state labs.
Another 13 people have died from coronavirus, increasing Minnesota's total fatalities to 2,049. Of those deaths 1,465, or 71%, have occurred in assisted living or long-term care facilities.
Two more people were admitted to hospitals to be treated for COVID-19 in the past day, both with symptoms serious enough to require care in the ICU. As of Thursday 7,758 Minnesotans have been hospitalized with the virus.
Those between the ages of 20 and 24 continue to make up the state's largest group of cases by a significant margin with 13,627 positives and one death. People between 25 and 29 account for 9,862 cases and three fatalities, while 15 to 19-year-olds make up 9,515 cases. No one from that demographic has died from coronavirus.
People from 85 to 89 account for the largest number of Minnesota's COVID fatalities, with 350 in just 1,340 cases. That means 26% of those diagnosed from that age group have died from the virus.
Hennepin County has more COVID activity than any other county in the state, reporting 27,873 cases and 937 fatalities. Ramsey County reports 11,278 cases and 326 deaths, while Dakota County has registered 7,771 cases and 127 fatalities.
Cook County in northeastern Minnesota has the least amount of COVID activity, reporting just seven cases and no deaths since the onset of the pandemic. Kittson County reports just 12 cases.
10:30 a.m.
The Minnesota Vikings have reopened TCO Performance Center after the morning's COVID testing revealed no positives among players and team staff.
An outbreak of the virus in the Tennessee Titans organization caused the club to shut down in-person activities for the beginning of the week, and close the team's headquarters for intense cleaning. The Titans were in town Sunday for a game at U.S. Bank stadium, and immediately afterwards 8 members of the organization tested positive for COVID.
That number grew to at least 10 Thursday, when tests revealed two more people in the Titans organization had contracted the virus. The NFL responded by indefinitely postponing Tennessee's game with Pittsburgh, which had already been pushed back from Sunday to Monday or Tuesday.
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and see what businesses are open as the state slowly lifts restrictions. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11.
The state of Minnesota has set up a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.
