An average of 2.9 percent of Minnesotans who have been tested for COVID-19 ended up testing positive, according to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
As of Friday afternoon, the MDH Public Health Lab had tested 3,856 individuals for the virus and received 115 positive results. That means that 2.9 percent of people who were tested ended up testing positive.
Nationally, 17,038 individuals have tested positive for the virus while 118,147 have tested negative. At that rate, the national average of someone testing positive for the coronavirus as of Friday afternoon was 12.6 percent.
MDH notes that not all cases of COVID-19 are tested, so its data is not “representative of the total number of people in Minnesota who have or had COVID-19.” Additionally, the department announced earlier this week that it will begin limiting its testing to hospitalized patients, health care workers, and residents of long-term care facilities because of a “national shortage of COVID-19 testing materials.”
As of Thursday afternoon, New York, California, and Washington state accounted for close to 70 percent of all deaths caused by the coronavirus in the United States, The Minnesota Sun reported. Minnesota hasn’t experienced any deaths as a result of the virus and health officials said Friday that eight of the 115 positive cases have required hospitalization.
Of the 32,427 tests performed in New York state, 7,102 have come back positive, meaning the average for testing positive in New York is currently 21.9 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday that every state must report aggregated data of coronavirus testing, but officials in Ohio appear to be flouting this requirement, The Ohio Star reported.
On Monday, Ohio stopped releasing the total number of tests being performed in the state. Sources told The Ohio Star that concealing the number of negative test results in the state has allowed Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration to legitimize some of its more controversial actions, particularly the forced cancellation of Tuesday’s presidential primary.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
