Minnesota Sets New COVID-19 Daily Death Record
St Paul (KROC AM News) - Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 record didn’t just break the previous high mark - it blew it out of the water.
And, it brought a public statement from the state’s highest-ranking public health official on a day her office is closed for the Thanksgiving Day holiday.
The Minnesota Dept. of Health issued its daily report on the state’s Covid activity on Friday. It showed the state recorded 101 new deaths as of Wednesday. The previous record of 72 was reported November 18th and 24th. The state’s total Covid death total has risen to 3476. The daily report also shows 5700 new positive cases have been confirmed, increasing the cumulative total to 295,000.
Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm issued this statement in response to the latest figures:
“Thanksgiving Weekend is a sad time to have to report a new daily record for COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota. Today’s total of 101 pushes us to 3,476 deaths since the disease first arrived in our state nearly nine months ago.
This is a sad development, but it is not a surprising development. For weeks we have been sounding the alarm about the dramatic growth in COVID-19 cases. We know that more cases leads to more hospitalizations and deaths, and today’s news reinforces that tragic pattern.
As we make our way through the next few weeks and a holiday season unlike any we have experienced, we must redouble our efforts to protect each other – especially those who are at higher risk of developing severe illness. Every public activity now is more risky than it was even a few weeks ago, so the best way to slow this spread is for people to stay home and away from gatherings with those outside of our immediate household. And we need everyone leaving their home to follow the basic recommendations every time. That means staying 6 feet apart from others, wearing your mask over your nose and mouth, staying home when sick, and getting tested when appropriate.
This is painful and frustrating, but every day we get closer to having safe and effective vaccines that should help resolve this crisis. We anxiously await that day, and until then we all must do our part to ensure that all of our loved ones, friends and neighbors can celebrate those days with us.”
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