Updated: 3 p.m.
Minnesota officials on Wednesday reported another 92 COVID-19 deaths, extending an already awful December 982 deaths posted in the first 16 days of the month, atop more than 1,100 deaths recorded in November.
The newest data marked one of the highest single-day counts in the pandemic, a reality check after a couple days of relatively moderate death counts. Reported deaths are averaging nearly 67 per day over the past seven days, a sad new record.
The grim numbers were balanced out somewhat by the fact that new daily caseloads and hospital admissions continue to slow from their late November, early December highs.