Updated capacity figures indicate fewer open ICU beds than previously reported on state dashboard.
More than 1,000 Minnesota hospital beds are filled with COVID-19 patients for the first time in the pandemic, which has caused 2,591 COVID-19 deaths and 170,307 diagnosed infections in the state.
The totals include 36 more deaths reported by the Minnesota Department of Health on Friday along with a record-shattering one-day total of 5,454 diagnosed infections with the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The state’s updated pandemic response dashboard on Friday showed that 1,038 people with COVID-19 were admitted to Minnesota hospitals, and that 224 needed intensive care due to breathing problems or complications from the infectious disease.
State health officials have urged people to stick with a combination of mask-wearing, avoiding large crowds and social distancing in public to reduce the spread of the virus and keep pressure off hospitals. Dr. John Hick on Friday said a lack of public compliance could force a second statewide lockdown just before the holidays. Continue reading.