Minnesota reports 94 COVID deaths but new cases remain down

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials on Friday reported 94 new COVID-19 deaths, the state's second-highest one-day death toll for the pandemic, but new cases and hospitalizations continue to fall.

The new deaths raised the state's total to 4,292, while the 3,773 new coronavirus cases reported Friday lifted the state's cumulative count to 370,968.

Minnesota had 1,461 patients hospitalized as of Thursday, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. That's down from a peak of 1,864 on Nov. 29.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Minnesota has fallen from 5,628 new cases per day on Nov. 26 to 4,799 as of Thursday, according to The Covid Tracking Project.

Health officials have said the four-week “pause” ordered by Gov, Tim Walz last month seems to be having a positive impact. Walz will announce Monday whether he'll extend those restrictions on businesses, gatherings and organized youth sports.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections on Friday said two more state prisoners have died of COVID-19. The department said the inmates — a 66-year-old from the prison at Faribault and a 63-year old man from the Moose Lake facility — died at a Minneapolis hospital Thursday. They were the seventh and eighth inmates in the state prison system to die from COVID-19.