BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The number of active coronavirus cases in North Dakota topped 2,000 for the first time on Friday with a near-record number of tests coming back positive.
The North Dakota Health Department reported 2,163 active cases, up 168 from Thursday.
The agency reported 314 new positive cases, down from a record 337 set the day before. Thirty-three of North Dakota’s 52 counties reported new positive cases, led by Burleigh County with 62. Neighboring Morton County tallied 22 new cases.
The two counties that include the Bismarck metropolitan area have been the state’s hot spot for the virus in recent weeks and account for about 27% of North Dakota’s active cases.
The state’s death toll attributed to the virus remained at 139 on Friday. There were 70 people hospitalized, up nine from Thursday.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
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