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The deaths included two residents of Burleigh County, two residents of McLean County and one each from Logan and Ward counties. Residents whose deaths were reported on Wednesday ranged between their 60s and 100s.
Over the past month and a half, active COVID-19 cases have fallen from their peak of over 10,000 on November 13, and Wednesday’s increase in active cases marked a break from the trend of recent weeks. Today, 1,821 North Dakotans are known to be infected with the virus, up 120 from Tuesday. With declines in recent weeks, cases of the active virus in North Dakota are at their lowest level since late August, when the state’s viral outbreak was just beginning.
The health department said 1,282 residents of North Dakota had died from COVID-19 since March. The state averages nearly eight deaths per day in December, down from November, when on average more than 16 North Dakotans died each day. However, the state has the fourth highest number of per capita deaths in the country during the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 768 of the state’s deaths have occurred in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. There are 50 infected nursing home residents in the state, down from more than 300 since the start of the month.
Hospitalizations due to the virus have also eased considerably, down by more than 200 people since mid-November. On Wednesday, the number of North Dakotans hospitalized with COVID-19 fell by 19 from the previous day, bringing the state below 100 hospitalizations due to the virus for the first time since September.
The department reported 375 new cases on Wednesday, including:
- 72 of Cass County, which includes Fargo.
- 35 of Burleigh County, which includes Bismarck.
- 20 of Grand Forks County.
About 4.7% of the 7,919 residents tested in the last batch tested positive, and the average positivity rate of those tested in the last two weeks is around 4.6%. The state has yet to say how many residents have tested negative on rapid antigenic tests, although 119 of Wednesday’s positive results come from the new 15-minute tests.
Healthcare workers began receiving their first doses of the newly released COVID-19 vaccines earlier this month, and immunizations at nursing homes across the state are underway this week. Public health officials have urged North Dakotans to refrain from travel and large gatherings over the Christmas and New Years holidays, to avoid a January bump in the cases.
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Readers can contact Adam Willis, Forum News Service reporter, member of the Report for America Corps, at [email protected].
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