4 Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Minnesota

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota has now had four people who have died from COVID-19.  Both of the two most recent deaths were people who were in long term care settings.

Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says all four people who have died in Minnesota were in their 80s.

Seventeen congregate care sites in Minnesota have had at least one positive COVID-19 test so far.

Director of Infectious Disease at the Department of Health Kris Ehresman says a member of their team immediately contacts the facility once a case has been found in their facility, and personal protective equipment is sent to those facilities.

She says they would like all staff to wear surgical masks in advance of a case being identified in an effort to minimize the spread from staff to residents.

The Minnesota Department of Health says there have been 398 confirmed cases, with 180 of those no longer needing to be isolated.

Fifty-one patients have required hospitalization, and 34 of those are still in the hospital, 14 of them are in the ICU.

MDH has completed just over 14,000 tests.

Stearns County still has the five confirmed cases, Sherburne County is now up to three, and Benton County still has just the one.