Minnesota Officials Won’t Call Spike in COVID Deaths a Trend

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials have reported 17 new deaths from the coronavirus, the highest one-day death toll in two months.

That figure usually has been in single digits in recent weeks. The new fatalities raised the state’s death toll to 1,738.

The Minnesota Department of Health also reported 567 new cases for a total of 66,618.

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The number of Minnesotans hospitalized rose by 17 to 321, with 152 in intensive care.

Minnesota's new case numbers have trended downward in recent days. but officials say it's still unclear if that’s the result of Gov. Tim Walz’s indoor mask mandate or other factors.