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By Albert Lea Tribune and Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota health authorities reported 77 new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday — the second-highest one-day total of the pandemic — but this week’s figures have been affected by reporting lags due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

The new deaths raise the state’s total to 3,692. Minnesota highest one-day total was 101 cases last Friday, which reflected data from last Wednesday. The daily death tolls had been relatively low since then until now, but health officials have cautioned against reading too much into short-term fluctuations.

The Minnesota Department of Health also reported 5,192 new coronavirus cases to bring the state’s total to 327,477.

As of Tuesday, Minnesota hospitals were treating 1,604 COVID-19 patients, including 354 in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Minnesota is 10.65%, down from 15.28% two weeks earlier, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project. But The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Minnesota has risen over the past two weeks from 35 deaths per day on Nov. 17 to 44.57 deaths per day on Tuesday.

Any impacts on case numbers from the extended holiday weekend likely won’t be fully known for a few more days, as symptoms of COVID-19 emerge up to 14 days after someone is exposed.

Local cases

Freeborn County reported 32 new COVID-19 cases and has now had 1,596 total cases.

According to the Freeborn County Public Health Department, 172 cases are considered active, and 29 people are currently hospitalized. Eighty-two people from the county have been hospitalized at some point during their illness.

The new cases included the following:

• One person between 5 and 9

• Two people ages 15 to 19

• Six people in their 20s

• Five people in their 30s

• Four people in their 40s

• Six people in their 50s

• Six people in their 60s

• One person in their 70s

• One person in their 80s

Faribault County reported nine new cases and has had 590 cases; Mower County reported 30 new lab-confirmed cases and two probable cases and has had 2,706 total cases; Steele County reported 35 new lab-confirmed cases and has had 2,056 total cases; and Waseca County reported 13 new cases and has had 1,418 total cases.

Minnesota COVID-19 cases, deaths

County	Total confirmed cases	Total probable cases	Total cases	Total deaths
Aitkin	787	8	795	30
Anoka	22,034	1,162	23,196	232
Becker	2,154	22	2,176	19
Beltrami	2,215	60	2,275	18
Benton	3,086	86	3,172	53
Big Stone	326	7	333	2
Blue Earth	4,258	8	4,266	17
Brown	1,490	20	1,510	15
Carlton	1,792	192	1,984	17
Carver	4,899	114	5,013	15
Cass	1,487	12	1,499	10
Chippewa	940	10	950	8
Chisago	3,162	107	3,269	14
Clay	5,184	29	5,213	59
Clearwater	531	7	538	9
Cook	79	0	79	0
Cottonwood	886	42	928	4
Crow Wing	3,727	35	3,762	37
Dakota	22,666	436	23,102	194
Dodge	911	0	911	0
Douglas	2,716	68	2,784	39
Faribault	589	1	590	2
Fillmore	744	4	748	0
Freeborn	1,588	8	1,596	6
Goodhue	2,159	10	2,169	30
Grant	294	1	295	6
Hennepin	67,720	1,178	68,898	1,130
Houston	741	28	769	4
Hubbard	1,166	11	1,177	28
Isanti	1,900	95	1,995	17
Itasca	2,012	10	2,022	23
Jackson	511	7	518	1
Kanabec	668	9	677	14
Kandiyohi	4,289	31	4,320	24
Kittson	219	21	240	8
Koochiching	403	7	410	6
Lac qui Parle	391	7	398	4
Lake	406	37	443	7
Lake of the Woods	97	5	102	1
Le Sueur	1,522	13	1,535	11
Lincoln	369	3	372	1
Lyon	2,273	14	2,287	12
Mahnomen	315	1	316	4
Marshall	519	9	528	9
Martin	1,205	7	1,212	21
McLeod	2,252	13	2,265	17
Meeker	1,375	15	1,390	11
Mille Lacs	1,574	38	1,612	31
Morrison	2,355	62	2,417	30
Mower	2,676	30	2,706	23
Murray	601	5	606	4
Nicollet	1,684	10	1,694	26
Nobles	3,121	16	3,137	31
Norman	362	1	363	8
Olmsted	7,015	10	7,025	36
Otter Tail	3,271	56	3,327	25
Pennington	659	16	675	8
Pine	1,379	50	1,429	8
Pipestone	736	11	747	18
Polk	2,534	128	2,662	26
Pope	562	2	564	1
Ramsey	28,240	708	28,948	512
Red Lake	217	11	228	3
Redwood	1,005	12	1,017	20
Renville	885	42	927	29
Rice	4,230	47	4,277	38
Rock	790	11	801	9
Roseau	1,142	105	1,247	5
Scott	8,697	113	8,810	56
Sherburne	5,781	301	6,082	43
Sibley	809	10	819	4
St. Louis	9,049	231	9,280	117
Stearns	13,967	347	14,314	121
Steele	2,050	6	2,056	8
Stevens	528	5	533	3
Swift	603	11	614	9
Todd	1,866	8	1,874	14
Traverse	152	0	152	1
Wabasha	1,100	4	1,104	1
Wadena	833	20	853	7
Waseca	1,415	3	1,418	11
Washington	14,240	350	14,590	120
Watonwan	880	2	882	4
Wilkin	410	1	411	5
Winona	2,900	20	2,920	31
Wright	7,907	364	8,271	45
Yellow Medicine	647	29	676	12
Unknown/missing	372	10	382	0