Record 7,228 new COVID-19 cases reported in Minnesota

The continuing surge in Minnesota's COVID-19 numbers - a record 7,228 cases were reported Thursday - has increasingly anxious health officials scrambling to find a way to slow the coronavirus as Thanksgiving approaches.

Thursday's numbers included 39 deaths - the second-highest one-day total so far. On Wednesday, the state announced a single-day record of 56 COVID-19 deaths. Earlier this week, as testing positivity rates continued to climb, Gov. Tim Walz announced a 10 p.m. closing time for bars and restaurants along with limits on private gatherings to take effect Friday.

State officials are asking all Minnesotans ages 18 to 35 to get tested. "We've expressed our very serious concerns previously about the trends in the data, and today's data starkly show the continuation of those trends," said Kris Ehresmann, infectious disease director for the Minnesota Department of Health. "What the data are telling us is that every Minnesotan needs to take every measure possible to limit the spread of this disease. That means following the governor's executive orders, limiting social gatherings outside your immediate household, wear a mask in public and social distance when you do go out."

https://www.startribune.com/record-7-228-new-covid-19-cases-reported-in-minnesota/573055191/