Special to The Forum
State health officials reported Tuesday, Jan. 5, that an additional 1,612 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, have been documented in Minnesota.
The total number of known COVID-19 cases in the state stands now at 425,261.
Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Monday, Jan. 4, that the state s pandemic outlook is improving but that improvement is tenuous. If we let our guard down, COVID-19 finds a way to surge back, Malcolm said during a telephone news conference.
Health measures implemented in November, including a temporary ban on indoor dining at bars and restaurants, appear to have beaten back the surge of COVID-19 infections that began that month. And while the percentage of disease-affirming COVID-19 tests that came back positive is up slightly, Malcolm said, is still below the 10% threshold that health experts say to avoid.